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Pregnancy outcomes on long-acting antiretroviral
In a cautiously optimistic report,
Among 10 live births, there was one birth defect (congenital ptosis, or droopy eyelid), which was not attributed to the trial drugs. There were no instances of perinatal HIV transmission at delivery or during the 1-year follow-up.
“Long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine is the first and only complete injectable regimen potentially available for pregnant women,” first author Parul Patel, PharmD, global medical affairs director for cabotegravir at ViiV Healthcare, said in an interview. The regimen was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2021 for injections every 4 weeks and in February 2022 for injections every 8 weeks.
“Importantly, it can be dosed monthly or every 2 months,” Patel said. “This could be advantageous for women who are experiencing constant change during pregnancy. This could be a consideration for women who might have problems tolerating oral pills during pregnancy or might have problems with emesis.”
The study was published in HIV Medicine.
“We are really pursuing the development of the long-acting version of cabotegravir in combination with rilpivirine,” Dr. Patel said. “It’s an industry standard during initial development that you start very conservatively and not allow a woman who is pregnant to continue dosing of a drug while still evaluating its overall safety profile. We really want to understand the use of this agent in nonpregnant adults before exposing pregnant women to active treatment.”
Pregnancies in trials excluding pregnant women
In the paper, Dr. Patel and her coauthors noted the limited data on pregnant women exposed to CAB + RPV. They analyzed pregnancies in four phase 2b/3/3b clinical trials sponsored by ViiV Healthcare and a compassionate use program. All clinical trial participants first received oral CAB + RPV daily for 4 weeks to assess individual tolerance before the experimental long-acting injection of CAB + RPV every 4 weeks or every 8 weeks.
Women participants were required to use highly effective contraception during the trials and for at least 52 weeks after the last injection. Urine pregnancy tests were given at baseline, before each injection, and when pregnancy was suspected. If a pregnancy was detected, CAB + RPV (oral or long-acting injections) was discontinued and the woman switched to an alternative oral antiretroviral, unless she and her physician decided to continue with injections in the compassionate use program.
Pregnancy outcomes
Among 25 reported pregnancies in 22 women during the trial, there were 10 live births. Nine of the mothers who delivered their babies at term had switched to an alternative antiretroviral regimen and maintained virologic suppression throughout pregnancy and post partum, or the last available viral load assessment.
The 10th participant remained on long-acting CAB + RPV during her pregnancy and had a live birth with congenital ptosis that was resolving without treatment at the 4-month ophthalmology consult, the authors wrote. The mother experienced persistent low-level viremia before and throughout her pregnancy.
Two of the pregnancies occurred after the last monthly injection, during the washout period. Other studies have reported that each long-acting drug, CAB and RPV, can be detected more than 1 year after the last injection. In the new report, plasma CAB and RPV washout concentrations during pregnancy were within the range of those in nonpregnant women, the authors wrote.
Among the 14 participants with non–live birth outcomes, 13 switched to an alternative antiretroviral regimen during pregnancy and maintained virologic suppression through pregnancy and post partum, or until their last viral assessment. The remaining participant received long-acting CAB + RPV and continued this treatment for the duration of their pregnancy.
“It’s a very limited data set, so we’re not in a position to be able to make definitive conclusions around long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine in pregnancy,” Dr. Patel acknowledged. “But the data that we presented among the 25 women who were exposed to cabotegravir-rilpivirine looks reassuring.”
Planned studies during pregnancy
Vani Vannappagari, MBBS, MPH, PhD, global head of epidemiology and real-world evidence at ViiV Healthcare and study coauthor, said in an interview that the initial results are spurring promising new research.
“We are working with an external IMPAACT [International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network] group on a clinical trial ... to try to determine the appropriate dose of long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine during pregnancy,” Dr. Vannappagari said. “The clinical trial will give us the immediate safety, dose information, and viral suppression rates for both the mother and the infant. But long-term safety, especially birth defects and any adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, will come from our antiretroviral pregnancy registry and other noninterventional studies.
“In the very small cohort studied, [in] pregnancies that were continued after exposure to long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine in the first trimester, there were no significant adverse fetal outcomes identified,” he said. “That’s reassuring, as is the fact that at the time these patients were switched in early pregnancy, their viral loads were all undetectable at the time that their pregnancies were diagnosed.”
Neil Silverman, MD, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Infections in Pregnancy Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, who was not associated with the study, provided a comment to this news organization.
“The larger question still remains why pregnant women were so actively excluded from the original study design when this trial was evaluating a newer long-acting preparation of two anti-HIV medications that otherwise would be perfectly fine to use during pregnancy?”
Dr. Silverman continued, “In this case, it’s particularly frustrating since the present study was simply evaluating established medications currently being used to manage HIV infection, but in a newer longer-acting mode of administration by an injection every 2 months. If a patient had already been successfully managed on an oral antiviral regimen containing an integrase inhibitor and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, like the two drugs studied here, it would not be considered reasonable to switch that regimen simply because she was found to be pregnant.”
Dr. Patel and Dr. Vannappagari are employees of ViiV Healthcare and stockholders of GlaxoSmithKline.
This analysis was funded by ViiV Healthcare, and all studies were cofunded by ViiV Healthcare and Janssen Research & Development. Dr. Silverman reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
In a cautiously optimistic report,
Among 10 live births, there was one birth defect (congenital ptosis, or droopy eyelid), which was not attributed to the trial drugs. There were no instances of perinatal HIV transmission at delivery or during the 1-year follow-up.
“Long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine is the first and only complete injectable regimen potentially available for pregnant women,” first author Parul Patel, PharmD, global medical affairs director for cabotegravir at ViiV Healthcare, said in an interview. The regimen was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2021 for injections every 4 weeks and in February 2022 for injections every 8 weeks.
“Importantly, it can be dosed monthly or every 2 months,” Patel said. “This could be advantageous for women who are experiencing constant change during pregnancy. This could be a consideration for women who might have problems tolerating oral pills during pregnancy or might have problems with emesis.”
The study was published in HIV Medicine.
“We are really pursuing the development of the long-acting version of cabotegravir in combination with rilpivirine,” Dr. Patel said. “It’s an industry standard during initial development that you start very conservatively and not allow a woman who is pregnant to continue dosing of a drug while still evaluating its overall safety profile. We really want to understand the use of this agent in nonpregnant adults before exposing pregnant women to active treatment.”
Pregnancies in trials excluding pregnant women
In the paper, Dr. Patel and her coauthors noted the limited data on pregnant women exposed to CAB + RPV. They analyzed pregnancies in four phase 2b/3/3b clinical trials sponsored by ViiV Healthcare and a compassionate use program. All clinical trial participants first received oral CAB + RPV daily for 4 weeks to assess individual tolerance before the experimental long-acting injection of CAB + RPV every 4 weeks or every 8 weeks.
Women participants were required to use highly effective contraception during the trials and for at least 52 weeks after the last injection. Urine pregnancy tests were given at baseline, before each injection, and when pregnancy was suspected. If a pregnancy was detected, CAB + RPV (oral or long-acting injections) was discontinued and the woman switched to an alternative oral antiretroviral, unless she and her physician decided to continue with injections in the compassionate use program.
Pregnancy outcomes
Among 25 reported pregnancies in 22 women during the trial, there were 10 live births. Nine of the mothers who delivered their babies at term had switched to an alternative antiretroviral regimen and maintained virologic suppression throughout pregnancy and post partum, or the last available viral load assessment.
The 10th participant remained on long-acting CAB + RPV during her pregnancy and had a live birth with congenital ptosis that was resolving without treatment at the 4-month ophthalmology consult, the authors wrote. The mother experienced persistent low-level viremia before and throughout her pregnancy.
Two of the pregnancies occurred after the last monthly injection, during the washout period. Other studies have reported that each long-acting drug, CAB and RPV, can be detected more than 1 year after the last injection. In the new report, plasma CAB and RPV washout concentrations during pregnancy were within the range of those in nonpregnant women, the authors wrote.
Among the 14 participants with non–live birth outcomes, 13 switched to an alternative antiretroviral regimen during pregnancy and maintained virologic suppression through pregnancy and post partum, or until their last viral assessment. The remaining participant received long-acting CAB + RPV and continued this treatment for the duration of their pregnancy.
“It’s a very limited data set, so we’re not in a position to be able to make definitive conclusions around long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine in pregnancy,” Dr. Patel acknowledged. “But the data that we presented among the 25 women who were exposed to cabotegravir-rilpivirine looks reassuring.”
Planned studies during pregnancy
Vani Vannappagari, MBBS, MPH, PhD, global head of epidemiology and real-world evidence at ViiV Healthcare and study coauthor, said in an interview that the initial results are spurring promising new research.
“We are working with an external IMPAACT [International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network] group on a clinical trial ... to try to determine the appropriate dose of long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine during pregnancy,” Dr. Vannappagari said. “The clinical trial will give us the immediate safety, dose information, and viral suppression rates for both the mother and the infant. But long-term safety, especially birth defects and any adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, will come from our antiretroviral pregnancy registry and other noninterventional studies.
“In the very small cohort studied, [in] pregnancies that were continued after exposure to long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine in the first trimester, there were no significant adverse fetal outcomes identified,” he said. “That’s reassuring, as is the fact that at the time these patients were switched in early pregnancy, their viral loads were all undetectable at the time that their pregnancies were diagnosed.”
Neil Silverman, MD, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Infections in Pregnancy Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, who was not associated with the study, provided a comment to this news organization.
“The larger question still remains why pregnant women were so actively excluded from the original study design when this trial was evaluating a newer long-acting preparation of two anti-HIV medications that otherwise would be perfectly fine to use during pregnancy?”
Dr. Silverman continued, “In this case, it’s particularly frustrating since the present study was simply evaluating established medications currently being used to manage HIV infection, but in a newer longer-acting mode of administration by an injection every 2 months. If a patient had already been successfully managed on an oral antiviral regimen containing an integrase inhibitor and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, like the two drugs studied here, it would not be considered reasonable to switch that regimen simply because she was found to be pregnant.”
Dr. Patel and Dr. Vannappagari are employees of ViiV Healthcare and stockholders of GlaxoSmithKline.
This analysis was funded by ViiV Healthcare, and all studies were cofunded by ViiV Healthcare and Janssen Research & Development. Dr. Silverman reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
In a cautiously optimistic report,
Among 10 live births, there was one birth defect (congenital ptosis, or droopy eyelid), which was not attributed to the trial drugs. There were no instances of perinatal HIV transmission at delivery or during the 1-year follow-up.
“Long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine is the first and only complete injectable regimen potentially available for pregnant women,” first author Parul Patel, PharmD, global medical affairs director for cabotegravir at ViiV Healthcare, said in an interview. The regimen was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2021 for injections every 4 weeks and in February 2022 for injections every 8 weeks.
“Importantly, it can be dosed monthly or every 2 months,” Patel said. “This could be advantageous for women who are experiencing constant change during pregnancy. This could be a consideration for women who might have problems tolerating oral pills during pregnancy or might have problems with emesis.”
The study was published in HIV Medicine.
“We are really pursuing the development of the long-acting version of cabotegravir in combination with rilpivirine,” Dr. Patel said. “It’s an industry standard during initial development that you start very conservatively and not allow a woman who is pregnant to continue dosing of a drug while still evaluating its overall safety profile. We really want to understand the use of this agent in nonpregnant adults before exposing pregnant women to active treatment.”
Pregnancies in trials excluding pregnant women
In the paper, Dr. Patel and her coauthors noted the limited data on pregnant women exposed to CAB + RPV. They analyzed pregnancies in four phase 2b/3/3b clinical trials sponsored by ViiV Healthcare and a compassionate use program. All clinical trial participants first received oral CAB + RPV daily for 4 weeks to assess individual tolerance before the experimental long-acting injection of CAB + RPV every 4 weeks or every 8 weeks.
Women participants were required to use highly effective contraception during the trials and for at least 52 weeks after the last injection. Urine pregnancy tests were given at baseline, before each injection, and when pregnancy was suspected. If a pregnancy was detected, CAB + RPV (oral or long-acting injections) was discontinued and the woman switched to an alternative oral antiretroviral, unless she and her physician decided to continue with injections in the compassionate use program.
Pregnancy outcomes
Among 25 reported pregnancies in 22 women during the trial, there were 10 live births. Nine of the mothers who delivered their babies at term had switched to an alternative antiretroviral regimen and maintained virologic suppression throughout pregnancy and post partum, or the last available viral load assessment.
The 10th participant remained on long-acting CAB + RPV during her pregnancy and had a live birth with congenital ptosis that was resolving without treatment at the 4-month ophthalmology consult, the authors wrote. The mother experienced persistent low-level viremia before and throughout her pregnancy.
Two of the pregnancies occurred after the last monthly injection, during the washout period. Other studies have reported that each long-acting drug, CAB and RPV, can be detected more than 1 year after the last injection. In the new report, plasma CAB and RPV washout concentrations during pregnancy were within the range of those in nonpregnant women, the authors wrote.
Among the 14 participants with non–live birth outcomes, 13 switched to an alternative antiretroviral regimen during pregnancy and maintained virologic suppression through pregnancy and post partum, or until their last viral assessment. The remaining participant received long-acting CAB + RPV and continued this treatment for the duration of their pregnancy.
“It’s a very limited data set, so we’re not in a position to be able to make definitive conclusions around long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine in pregnancy,” Dr. Patel acknowledged. “But the data that we presented among the 25 women who were exposed to cabotegravir-rilpivirine looks reassuring.”
Planned studies during pregnancy
Vani Vannappagari, MBBS, MPH, PhD, global head of epidemiology and real-world evidence at ViiV Healthcare and study coauthor, said in an interview that the initial results are spurring promising new research.
“We are working with an external IMPAACT [International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network] group on a clinical trial ... to try to determine the appropriate dose of long-acting cabotegravir-rilpivirine during pregnancy,” Dr. Vannappagari said. “The clinical trial will give us the immediate safety, dose information, and viral suppression rates for both the mother and the infant. But long-term safety, especially birth defects and any adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, will come from our antiretroviral pregnancy registry and other noninterventional studies.
“In the very small cohort studied, [in] pregnancies that were continued after exposure to long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine in the first trimester, there were no significant adverse fetal outcomes identified,” he said. “That’s reassuring, as is the fact that at the time these patients were switched in early pregnancy, their viral loads were all undetectable at the time that their pregnancies were diagnosed.”
Neil Silverman, MD, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Infections in Pregnancy Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, who was not associated with the study, provided a comment to this news organization.
“The larger question still remains why pregnant women were so actively excluded from the original study design when this trial was evaluating a newer long-acting preparation of two anti-HIV medications that otherwise would be perfectly fine to use during pregnancy?”
Dr. Silverman continued, “In this case, it’s particularly frustrating since the present study was simply evaluating established medications currently being used to manage HIV infection, but in a newer longer-acting mode of administration by an injection every 2 months. If a patient had already been successfully managed on an oral antiviral regimen containing an integrase inhibitor and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, like the two drugs studied here, it would not be considered reasonable to switch that regimen simply because she was found to be pregnant.”
Dr. Patel and Dr. Vannappagari are employees of ViiV Healthcare and stockholders of GlaxoSmithKline.
This analysis was funded by ViiV Healthcare, and all studies were cofunded by ViiV Healthcare and Janssen Research & Development. Dr. Silverman reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM HIV MEDICINE
Immune dysregulation may drive long-term postpartum depression
Postpartum depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder that persist 2-3 years after birth are associated with a dysregulated immune system that is characterized by increased inflammatory signaling, according to investigators.
These findings suggest that mental health screening for women who have given birth should continue beyond the first year post partum, reported lead author Jennifer M. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues.
“Delayed postpartum depression, also known as late-onset postpartum depression, can affect women up to 18 months after delivery,” the investigators wrote in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. “It can appear even later in some women, depending on the hormonal changes that occur after having a baby (for example, timing of weaning). However, the majority of research on maternal mental health focuses on the first year post birth, leaving a gap in research beyond 12 months post partum.”
To address this gap, the investigators enrolled 33 women who were 2-3 years post partum. Participants completed self-guided questionnaires on PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and provided blood samples for gene expression analysis.
Sixteen of the 33 women had clinically significant mood disturbances. and significantly reduced activation of genes associated with viral response.
“The results provide preliminary evidence of a mechanism (e.g., immune dysregulation) that might be contributing to mood disorders and bring us closer to the goal of identifying targetable biomarkers for mood disorders,” Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara said in a written comment. “This work highlights the need for standardized and continual depression and anxiety screening in ob.gyn. and primary care settings that extends beyond the 6-week maternal visit and possibly beyond the first postpartum year.”
Findings draw skepticism
“The authors argue that mothers need to be screened for depression/anxiety longer than the first year post partum, and this is true, but it has nothing to do with their findings,” said Jennifer L. Payne, MD, an expert in reproductive psychiatry at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
In a written comment, she explained that the cross-sectional design makes it impossible to know whether the mood disturbances were linked with delivery at all.
“It is unclear if the depression/anxiety symptoms began after delivery or not,” Dr. Payne said. “In addition, it is unclear if the findings are causative or a result of depression/anxiety symptoms (the authors admit this in the limitations section). It is likely that the findings are not specific or even related to having delivered a child, but rather reflect a more general process related to depression/anxiety outside of the postpartum time period.”
Only prospective studies can answer these questions, she said.
Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara agreed that further research is needed.
“Our findings are exciting, but still need to be replicated in larger samples with diverse women in order to make sure they generalize,” she said. “More work is needed to understand why inflammation plays a role in postpartum mental illness for some women and not others.”
The study was supported by a Cedars-Sinai Precision Health Grant, the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Institute of Mental Health. The investigators and Dr. Payne disclosed no relevant conflicts of interest.
Postpartum depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder that persist 2-3 years after birth are associated with a dysregulated immune system that is characterized by increased inflammatory signaling, according to investigators.
These findings suggest that mental health screening for women who have given birth should continue beyond the first year post partum, reported lead author Jennifer M. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues.
“Delayed postpartum depression, also known as late-onset postpartum depression, can affect women up to 18 months after delivery,” the investigators wrote in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. “It can appear even later in some women, depending on the hormonal changes that occur after having a baby (for example, timing of weaning). However, the majority of research on maternal mental health focuses on the first year post birth, leaving a gap in research beyond 12 months post partum.”
To address this gap, the investigators enrolled 33 women who were 2-3 years post partum. Participants completed self-guided questionnaires on PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and provided blood samples for gene expression analysis.
Sixteen of the 33 women had clinically significant mood disturbances. and significantly reduced activation of genes associated with viral response.
“The results provide preliminary evidence of a mechanism (e.g., immune dysregulation) that might be contributing to mood disorders and bring us closer to the goal of identifying targetable biomarkers for mood disorders,” Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara said in a written comment. “This work highlights the need for standardized and continual depression and anxiety screening in ob.gyn. and primary care settings that extends beyond the 6-week maternal visit and possibly beyond the first postpartum year.”
Findings draw skepticism
“The authors argue that mothers need to be screened for depression/anxiety longer than the first year post partum, and this is true, but it has nothing to do with their findings,” said Jennifer L. Payne, MD, an expert in reproductive psychiatry at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
In a written comment, she explained that the cross-sectional design makes it impossible to know whether the mood disturbances were linked with delivery at all.
“It is unclear if the depression/anxiety symptoms began after delivery or not,” Dr. Payne said. “In addition, it is unclear if the findings are causative or a result of depression/anxiety symptoms (the authors admit this in the limitations section). It is likely that the findings are not specific or even related to having delivered a child, but rather reflect a more general process related to depression/anxiety outside of the postpartum time period.”
Only prospective studies can answer these questions, she said.
Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara agreed that further research is needed.
“Our findings are exciting, but still need to be replicated in larger samples with diverse women in order to make sure they generalize,” she said. “More work is needed to understand why inflammation plays a role in postpartum mental illness for some women and not others.”
The study was supported by a Cedars-Sinai Precision Health Grant, the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Institute of Mental Health. The investigators and Dr. Payne disclosed no relevant conflicts of interest.
Postpartum depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder that persist 2-3 years after birth are associated with a dysregulated immune system that is characterized by increased inflammatory signaling, according to investigators.
These findings suggest that mental health screening for women who have given birth should continue beyond the first year post partum, reported lead author Jennifer M. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues.
“Delayed postpartum depression, also known as late-onset postpartum depression, can affect women up to 18 months after delivery,” the investigators wrote in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. “It can appear even later in some women, depending on the hormonal changes that occur after having a baby (for example, timing of weaning). However, the majority of research on maternal mental health focuses on the first year post birth, leaving a gap in research beyond 12 months post partum.”
To address this gap, the investigators enrolled 33 women who were 2-3 years post partum. Participants completed self-guided questionnaires on PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and provided blood samples for gene expression analysis.
Sixteen of the 33 women had clinically significant mood disturbances. and significantly reduced activation of genes associated with viral response.
“The results provide preliminary evidence of a mechanism (e.g., immune dysregulation) that might be contributing to mood disorders and bring us closer to the goal of identifying targetable biomarkers for mood disorders,” Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara said in a written comment. “This work highlights the need for standardized and continual depression and anxiety screening in ob.gyn. and primary care settings that extends beyond the 6-week maternal visit and possibly beyond the first postpartum year.”
Findings draw skepticism
“The authors argue that mothers need to be screened for depression/anxiety longer than the first year post partum, and this is true, but it has nothing to do with their findings,” said Jennifer L. Payne, MD, an expert in reproductive psychiatry at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
In a written comment, she explained that the cross-sectional design makes it impossible to know whether the mood disturbances were linked with delivery at all.
“It is unclear if the depression/anxiety symptoms began after delivery or not,” Dr. Payne said. “In addition, it is unclear if the findings are causative or a result of depression/anxiety symptoms (the authors admit this in the limitations section). It is likely that the findings are not specific or even related to having delivered a child, but rather reflect a more general process related to depression/anxiety outside of the postpartum time period.”
Only prospective studies can answer these questions, she said.
Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara agreed that further research is needed.
“Our findings are exciting, but still need to be replicated in larger samples with diverse women in order to make sure they generalize,” she said. “More work is needed to understand why inflammation plays a role in postpartum mental illness for some women and not others.”
The study was supported by a Cedars-Sinai Precision Health Grant, the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Institute of Mental Health. The investigators and Dr. Payne disclosed no relevant conflicts of interest.
FROM THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY
More states to consider extending postpartum Medicaid coverage beyond 2 months
Lawmakers in several conservative-led states – including Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, and Mississippi – are expected to consider proposals to provide a year of continuous health coverage to new mothers enrolled in Medicaid.
Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide are guaranteed continuous postpartum coverage during the ongoing covid-19 public health emergency. But momentum has been building for states to extend the default 60-day required coverage period ahead of the emergency’s eventual end. Approximately 42% of births nationwide are covered under Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people, and extending postpartum coverage aims to reduce the risk of pregnancy-related deaths and illnesses by ensuring that new mothers’ medical care isn’t interrupted.
The push comes as a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act makes extending postpartum Medicaid coverage easier because states no longer need to apply for a waiver. A renewed focus on maternal health amid high U.S. maternal mortality rates also is driving the proposals, as is the expectation that more women will need postpartum care as state abortion bans proliferate in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate federal protections.
Thirty-five states and Washington have already extended, or plan to extend, postpartum eligibility in their Medicaid programs. That number includes Texas and Wisconsin, which did not implement the ARPA provision but have proposed limited extensions of 6 months and 90 days, respectively.
The 15 states that limit postpartum Medicaid eligibility to 60 days are predominantly a swath of Republican-led states that stretch from the Mountain West to the South. But that could change when legislative sessions start in the new year.
In Montana, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton included 12-month postpartum eligibility in the governor’s proposed state budget. It would cost $9.2 million in federal and state funding over the next 2 years, according to the proposal, with the federal government covering nearly 70%.
A 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report estimated about 2,000 women in Montana would benefit from the change. State health department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said state officials’ estimate is half that number. The reason for the disparity was not immediately clear.
Mr. Brereton considers the “extension of coverage for new mothers to be a pro-life, pro-family reform,” Mr. Ebelt said.
To become law, the proposal must be approved by state lawmakers once the legislative session begins in January. It has already received enthusiastic support from the senior Democrat on the committee that oversees the health department’s budget. “Continuous eligibility for women after they have a baby is really important,” said state Rep. Mary Caferro during the Children’s Legislative Forum in Helena on Nov. 30.
The top Republican on the committee, state Rep.-elect Bob Keenan, said he hasn’t dug in on the governor’s budget proposal but added that he plans to survey his fellow lawmakers and health care providers on the postpartum extension. “I wouldn’t dare venture a guess as to its acceptance,” he said.
Nationwide, more than 1 in 5 mothers whose pregnancies were covered by Medicaid lose their insurance within 6 months of giving birth, and 1 in 3 pregnancy-related deaths happen between a week and a year after a birth occurs, according to federal health officials.
The United States had the highest overall maternal mortality rate, by far, among wealthy nations in 2020, at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 births, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that supports research focused on health care issues. The rate for Black women in the United States is even higher, 55.3 deaths.
“Many maternal deaths result from missed or delayed opportunities for treatment,” the report said.
The maternal mortality rate in Montana is not publicly available because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suppressed the state data in 2020 “due to reliability and confidentiality restrictions.” Mr. Ebelt, the state health department spokesperson, could not provide a rate before this article’s publication.
Annie Glover, a senior research scientist for the University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, said the governor’s proposal to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage could make a significant difference in improving overall maternal health in Montana. The university was awarded a federal grant this year for such efforts, particularly to lower the mortality rate among Native Americans, and Ms. Glover said the state measure could further reduce rates.
“The reason really has to do with maintaining access to care during this very critical period,” Ms. Glover said. That goes for helping mothers with postpartum depression, as well as medical conditions like high blood pressure that require follow-ups with a physician well after delivery, she said.
In Wyoming, a legislative committee voted 6-5 in August to introduce a bill in the next session; dissenters cited the cost and their reluctance to further entangle the state in federal government programs.
About a third of Wyoming births are covered by Medicaid, and state officials estimate about 1,250 women would benefit from the change.
Postpartum eligibility bills are also expected to be taken up by legislators in Missouri and Mississippi, two states that have previously grappled with the issue. Both states have outlawed most abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted federal protections in June, and Mississippi leaders have said additional postpartum care is needed because of the thousands of additional births expected as a result of the state’s ban.
A proposed coverage expansion died in the Mississippi House last session, but Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the Senate will revive the measure, according to Mississippi Today.
Last year, federal officials approved a Medicaid waiver for Missouri that allows the state to extend postpartum eligibility. But state officials delayed implementing the change to determine how enrollment would be affected by Missouri voters’ decision in August 2020 to expand Medicaid eligibility to more people. The delay prompted a bill to be filed last session that would have extended postpartum coverage by a year. That measure died, but a state lawmaker has pre-filed a bill that will bring back the debate in the upcoming session.
In Idaho, a children’s advocacy group said it will press lawmakers to approve a postpartum eligibility extension, among other measures, after the state banned nearly all abortions this year.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
Lawmakers in several conservative-led states – including Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, and Mississippi – are expected to consider proposals to provide a year of continuous health coverage to new mothers enrolled in Medicaid.
Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide are guaranteed continuous postpartum coverage during the ongoing covid-19 public health emergency. But momentum has been building for states to extend the default 60-day required coverage period ahead of the emergency’s eventual end. Approximately 42% of births nationwide are covered under Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people, and extending postpartum coverage aims to reduce the risk of pregnancy-related deaths and illnesses by ensuring that new mothers’ medical care isn’t interrupted.
The push comes as a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act makes extending postpartum Medicaid coverage easier because states no longer need to apply for a waiver. A renewed focus on maternal health amid high U.S. maternal mortality rates also is driving the proposals, as is the expectation that more women will need postpartum care as state abortion bans proliferate in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate federal protections.
Thirty-five states and Washington have already extended, or plan to extend, postpartum eligibility in their Medicaid programs. That number includes Texas and Wisconsin, which did not implement the ARPA provision but have proposed limited extensions of 6 months and 90 days, respectively.
The 15 states that limit postpartum Medicaid eligibility to 60 days are predominantly a swath of Republican-led states that stretch from the Mountain West to the South. But that could change when legislative sessions start in the new year.
In Montana, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton included 12-month postpartum eligibility in the governor’s proposed state budget. It would cost $9.2 million in federal and state funding over the next 2 years, according to the proposal, with the federal government covering nearly 70%.
A 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report estimated about 2,000 women in Montana would benefit from the change. State health department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said state officials’ estimate is half that number. The reason for the disparity was not immediately clear.
Mr. Brereton considers the “extension of coverage for new mothers to be a pro-life, pro-family reform,” Mr. Ebelt said.
To become law, the proposal must be approved by state lawmakers once the legislative session begins in January. It has already received enthusiastic support from the senior Democrat on the committee that oversees the health department’s budget. “Continuous eligibility for women after they have a baby is really important,” said state Rep. Mary Caferro during the Children’s Legislative Forum in Helena on Nov. 30.
The top Republican on the committee, state Rep.-elect Bob Keenan, said he hasn’t dug in on the governor’s budget proposal but added that he plans to survey his fellow lawmakers and health care providers on the postpartum extension. “I wouldn’t dare venture a guess as to its acceptance,” he said.
Nationwide, more than 1 in 5 mothers whose pregnancies were covered by Medicaid lose their insurance within 6 months of giving birth, and 1 in 3 pregnancy-related deaths happen between a week and a year after a birth occurs, according to federal health officials.
The United States had the highest overall maternal mortality rate, by far, among wealthy nations in 2020, at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 births, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that supports research focused on health care issues. The rate for Black women in the United States is even higher, 55.3 deaths.
“Many maternal deaths result from missed or delayed opportunities for treatment,” the report said.
The maternal mortality rate in Montana is not publicly available because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suppressed the state data in 2020 “due to reliability and confidentiality restrictions.” Mr. Ebelt, the state health department spokesperson, could not provide a rate before this article’s publication.
Annie Glover, a senior research scientist for the University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, said the governor’s proposal to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage could make a significant difference in improving overall maternal health in Montana. The university was awarded a federal grant this year for such efforts, particularly to lower the mortality rate among Native Americans, and Ms. Glover said the state measure could further reduce rates.
“The reason really has to do with maintaining access to care during this very critical period,” Ms. Glover said. That goes for helping mothers with postpartum depression, as well as medical conditions like high blood pressure that require follow-ups with a physician well after delivery, she said.
In Wyoming, a legislative committee voted 6-5 in August to introduce a bill in the next session; dissenters cited the cost and their reluctance to further entangle the state in federal government programs.
About a third of Wyoming births are covered by Medicaid, and state officials estimate about 1,250 women would benefit from the change.
Postpartum eligibility bills are also expected to be taken up by legislators in Missouri and Mississippi, two states that have previously grappled with the issue. Both states have outlawed most abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted federal protections in June, and Mississippi leaders have said additional postpartum care is needed because of the thousands of additional births expected as a result of the state’s ban.
A proposed coverage expansion died in the Mississippi House last session, but Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the Senate will revive the measure, according to Mississippi Today.
Last year, federal officials approved a Medicaid waiver for Missouri that allows the state to extend postpartum eligibility. But state officials delayed implementing the change to determine how enrollment would be affected by Missouri voters’ decision in August 2020 to expand Medicaid eligibility to more people. The delay prompted a bill to be filed last session that would have extended postpartum coverage by a year. That measure died, but a state lawmaker has pre-filed a bill that will bring back the debate in the upcoming session.
In Idaho, a children’s advocacy group said it will press lawmakers to approve a postpartum eligibility extension, among other measures, after the state banned nearly all abortions this year.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
Lawmakers in several conservative-led states – including Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, and Mississippi – are expected to consider proposals to provide a year of continuous health coverage to new mothers enrolled in Medicaid.
Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide are guaranteed continuous postpartum coverage during the ongoing covid-19 public health emergency. But momentum has been building for states to extend the default 60-day required coverage period ahead of the emergency’s eventual end. Approximately 42% of births nationwide are covered under Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people, and extending postpartum coverage aims to reduce the risk of pregnancy-related deaths and illnesses by ensuring that new mothers’ medical care isn’t interrupted.
The push comes as a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act makes extending postpartum Medicaid coverage easier because states no longer need to apply for a waiver. A renewed focus on maternal health amid high U.S. maternal mortality rates also is driving the proposals, as is the expectation that more women will need postpartum care as state abortion bans proliferate in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate federal protections.
Thirty-five states and Washington have already extended, or plan to extend, postpartum eligibility in their Medicaid programs. That number includes Texas and Wisconsin, which did not implement the ARPA provision but have proposed limited extensions of 6 months and 90 days, respectively.
The 15 states that limit postpartum Medicaid eligibility to 60 days are predominantly a swath of Republican-led states that stretch from the Mountain West to the South. But that could change when legislative sessions start in the new year.
In Montana, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton included 12-month postpartum eligibility in the governor’s proposed state budget. It would cost $9.2 million in federal and state funding over the next 2 years, according to the proposal, with the federal government covering nearly 70%.
A 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report estimated about 2,000 women in Montana would benefit from the change. State health department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said state officials’ estimate is half that number. The reason for the disparity was not immediately clear.
Mr. Brereton considers the “extension of coverage for new mothers to be a pro-life, pro-family reform,” Mr. Ebelt said.
To become law, the proposal must be approved by state lawmakers once the legislative session begins in January. It has already received enthusiastic support from the senior Democrat on the committee that oversees the health department’s budget. “Continuous eligibility for women after they have a baby is really important,” said state Rep. Mary Caferro during the Children’s Legislative Forum in Helena on Nov. 30.
The top Republican on the committee, state Rep.-elect Bob Keenan, said he hasn’t dug in on the governor’s budget proposal but added that he plans to survey his fellow lawmakers and health care providers on the postpartum extension. “I wouldn’t dare venture a guess as to its acceptance,” he said.
Nationwide, more than 1 in 5 mothers whose pregnancies were covered by Medicaid lose their insurance within 6 months of giving birth, and 1 in 3 pregnancy-related deaths happen between a week and a year after a birth occurs, according to federal health officials.
The United States had the highest overall maternal mortality rate, by far, among wealthy nations in 2020, at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 births, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that supports research focused on health care issues. The rate for Black women in the United States is even higher, 55.3 deaths.
“Many maternal deaths result from missed or delayed opportunities for treatment,” the report said.
The maternal mortality rate in Montana is not publicly available because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suppressed the state data in 2020 “due to reliability and confidentiality restrictions.” Mr. Ebelt, the state health department spokesperson, could not provide a rate before this article’s publication.
Annie Glover, a senior research scientist for the University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, said the governor’s proposal to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage could make a significant difference in improving overall maternal health in Montana. The university was awarded a federal grant this year for such efforts, particularly to lower the mortality rate among Native Americans, and Ms. Glover said the state measure could further reduce rates.
“The reason really has to do with maintaining access to care during this very critical period,” Ms. Glover said. That goes for helping mothers with postpartum depression, as well as medical conditions like high blood pressure that require follow-ups with a physician well after delivery, she said.
In Wyoming, a legislative committee voted 6-5 in August to introduce a bill in the next session; dissenters cited the cost and their reluctance to further entangle the state in federal government programs.
About a third of Wyoming births are covered by Medicaid, and state officials estimate about 1,250 women would benefit from the change.
Postpartum eligibility bills are also expected to be taken up by legislators in Missouri and Mississippi, two states that have previously grappled with the issue. Both states have outlawed most abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted federal protections in June, and Mississippi leaders have said additional postpartum care is needed because of the thousands of additional births expected as a result of the state’s ban.
A proposed coverage expansion died in the Mississippi House last session, but Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the Senate will revive the measure, according to Mississippi Today.
Last year, federal officials approved a Medicaid waiver for Missouri that allows the state to extend postpartum eligibility. But state officials delayed implementing the change to determine how enrollment would be affected by Missouri voters’ decision in August 2020 to expand Medicaid eligibility to more people. The delay prompted a bill to be filed last session that would have extended postpartum coverage by a year. That measure died, but a state lawmaker has pre-filed a bill that will bring back the debate in the upcoming session.
In Idaho, a children’s advocacy group said it will press lawmakers to approve a postpartum eligibility extension, among other measures, after the state banned nearly all abortions this year.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
Postpartum hemorrhage rates and risk factors rising
The rate of postpartum hemorrhage for hospital deliveries in the United States increased significantly over a 20-year period, according to data from more than 76 million delivery hospitalizations from the National Inpatient Sample.
Postpartum hemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and many clinical and patient-level risk factors appear to be on the rise, wrote Chiara M. Corbetta-Rastelli, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.
Although practice changes have been introduced to reduce postpartum hemorrhage, recent trends in postpartum hemorrhage risk and outcomes in the context of such changes as hemorrhage safety bundles have not been examined, they said.
In a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the researchers reviewed data from hospitalizations for females aged 15-54 years for deliveries between 2000 and 2019 using the National Inpatient Sample. They used a regression analysis to estimate average annual percentage changes (AAPC). Their objectives were to characterize trends and also to assess the association between risk factors and the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage and related interventions. Demographics, clinical factors, and hospital characteristics were mainly similar between the group of patients with postpartum hemorrhage and those with no postpartum hemorrhage.
Approximately 3% (2.3 million) of 76.7 million hospitalizations for delivery were complicated by postpartum hemorrhage during the study period, and the annual rate increased from 2.7% to 4.3%.
Overall, 21.4% of individuals with delivery hospitalizations complicated by postpartum hemorrhage had one postpartum risk factor, and 1.4% had two or more risk factors. The number of individuals with at least one risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage increased significantly, from 18.6% to 26.9%, during the study period, with an annual percentage change of 1.9%.
Compared with deliveries in individuals without risk factors, individuals with one risk factor had slightly higher odds of postpartum hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.14), but those with two or more risk factors were more than twice as likely to experience postpartum hemorrhage as those with no risk factors (OR, 2.31).
The researchers also examined the association of specific risk factors and interventions related to hemorrhage, notably blood transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy. Blood transfusions in individuals with postpartum hemorrhage increased from 5.4% to 16.7% between 2000 and 2011, (AAPC, 10.2%) then decreased from 16.7% to 12.6% from 2011 to 2019 (AAPC, –3.9%).
Peripartum hysterectomy in the study population increased from 1.4% to 2.4% from 2000 to 2009 (AAPC 5.0%), remained steady from 2009 to 2016, and then decreased from 2.1% to 0.9% from 2016 to 2019 (AAPC –27%).
Other risk factors associated with postpartum hemorrhage itself and with blood transfusion and hysterectomy in the setting of postpartum hemorrhage included prior cesarean delivery with placenta previa or accreta, placenta previa without prior cesarean delivery, and antepartum hemorrhage or placental abruption, the researchers noted.
“In addition to placental abnormalities, risk factors such as preeclampsia with severe features, polyhydramnios, and uterine leiomyomas demonstrated the highest rates of increase in our data,” they wrote in their discussion. These trends may lead to continuing increases in postpartum hemorrhage risk, which was not fully explained by the increase in risk factors seen in the current study, the researchers said.
The study findings were limited by several factors, including the use of billing codes that could lead to misclassification of diagnoses, as well as possible differences in the definition and coding for postpartum hemorrhage among hospitals, the researchers noted. Other limitations were the exclusion of cases of readmission for postpartum hemorrhage and lack of clinical details involving use of medications or nonoperative interventions, they said.
Notably, the study finding of stable to decreasing peripartum hysterectomy rates in hospitalized patients with postpartum hemorrhage conflicts with another recent study showing an increase in peripartum hysterectomy from 2009 to 2020, but this difference may reflect changes in billing, indications for hysterectomy, or study modeling, they said.
The current study was strengthened by the use of a large database to analyze population trends, a contemporary study period, and the inclusion of meaningful outcomes such as peripartum hysterectomy, the researchers wrote.
The shift in blood transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy may reflect the implementation of protocols to promote early intervention and identification of postpartum hemorrhage, they concluded.
Interventions can have an effect
“Hemorrhage remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States and blood transfusion is the most common severe maternal morbidity,” Catherine M. Albright, MD, MS, associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, said in an interview. “It is important to understand the current state, especially given that many hospitals have implemented policies and procedures to better identify and treat postpartum hemorrhage,” she said.
Dr. Albright said, “I was pleased to see that they did not just look at a diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage but rather also looked at complications arising from postpartum hemorrhage, such as blood transfusion or hysterectomy.”
Postpartum hemorrhage is often a clinical diagnosis that uses estimated blood loss, a notoriously inaccurate measure, said Dr. Albright. “Additionally, the definitions of postpartum hemorrhage, as well as the ICD codes, changed during the time period of the study,” she noted. “These factors all could lead to both underreporting and overreporting of the true incidence of postpartum hemorrhage. Blood transfusion and hysterectomy are more objective outcomes and demonstrate true morbidity,” she said.
“Most of the risk factors that are listed in the article are not modifiable during that pregnancy,” said Dr. Albright. For example, a history of a prior cesarean or having a twin pregnancy is not something that can be changed, she said. “Many of the other risk factors or associated clinical factors, such as obesity, chronic hypertension, and pregestational diabetes, are modifiable, but before pregnancy. Universal and easy access to primary medical care prior to and between pregnancies may help to mitigate some of these factors,” she noted.
Looking ahead, “It would be helpful to ensure that these types of data are available at the state and hospital level; this will allow for local evaluation of programs that are in place to reduce postpartum hemorrhage risk and improve identification and treatment,” Dr. Albright said.
The study received no outside funding. Dr. Corbetta-Rastelli and Dr. Albright had no financial conflicts to disclose.
The rate of postpartum hemorrhage for hospital deliveries in the United States increased significantly over a 20-year period, according to data from more than 76 million delivery hospitalizations from the National Inpatient Sample.
Postpartum hemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and many clinical and patient-level risk factors appear to be on the rise, wrote Chiara M. Corbetta-Rastelli, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.
Although practice changes have been introduced to reduce postpartum hemorrhage, recent trends in postpartum hemorrhage risk and outcomes in the context of such changes as hemorrhage safety bundles have not been examined, they said.
In a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the researchers reviewed data from hospitalizations for females aged 15-54 years for deliveries between 2000 and 2019 using the National Inpatient Sample. They used a regression analysis to estimate average annual percentage changes (AAPC). Their objectives were to characterize trends and also to assess the association between risk factors and the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage and related interventions. Demographics, clinical factors, and hospital characteristics were mainly similar between the group of patients with postpartum hemorrhage and those with no postpartum hemorrhage.
Approximately 3% (2.3 million) of 76.7 million hospitalizations for delivery were complicated by postpartum hemorrhage during the study period, and the annual rate increased from 2.7% to 4.3%.
Overall, 21.4% of individuals with delivery hospitalizations complicated by postpartum hemorrhage had one postpartum risk factor, and 1.4% had two or more risk factors. The number of individuals with at least one risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage increased significantly, from 18.6% to 26.9%, during the study period, with an annual percentage change of 1.9%.
Compared with deliveries in individuals without risk factors, individuals with one risk factor had slightly higher odds of postpartum hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.14), but those with two or more risk factors were more than twice as likely to experience postpartum hemorrhage as those with no risk factors (OR, 2.31).
The researchers also examined the association of specific risk factors and interventions related to hemorrhage, notably blood transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy. Blood transfusions in individuals with postpartum hemorrhage increased from 5.4% to 16.7% between 2000 and 2011, (AAPC, 10.2%) then decreased from 16.7% to 12.6% from 2011 to 2019 (AAPC, –3.9%).
Peripartum hysterectomy in the study population increased from 1.4% to 2.4% from 2000 to 2009 (AAPC 5.0%), remained steady from 2009 to 2016, and then decreased from 2.1% to 0.9% from 2016 to 2019 (AAPC –27%).
Other risk factors associated with postpartum hemorrhage itself and with blood transfusion and hysterectomy in the setting of postpartum hemorrhage included prior cesarean delivery with placenta previa or accreta, placenta previa without prior cesarean delivery, and antepartum hemorrhage or placental abruption, the researchers noted.
“In addition to placental abnormalities, risk factors such as preeclampsia with severe features, polyhydramnios, and uterine leiomyomas demonstrated the highest rates of increase in our data,” they wrote in their discussion. These trends may lead to continuing increases in postpartum hemorrhage risk, which was not fully explained by the increase in risk factors seen in the current study, the researchers said.
The study findings were limited by several factors, including the use of billing codes that could lead to misclassification of diagnoses, as well as possible differences in the definition and coding for postpartum hemorrhage among hospitals, the researchers noted. Other limitations were the exclusion of cases of readmission for postpartum hemorrhage and lack of clinical details involving use of medications or nonoperative interventions, they said.
Notably, the study finding of stable to decreasing peripartum hysterectomy rates in hospitalized patients with postpartum hemorrhage conflicts with another recent study showing an increase in peripartum hysterectomy from 2009 to 2020, but this difference may reflect changes in billing, indications for hysterectomy, or study modeling, they said.
The current study was strengthened by the use of a large database to analyze population trends, a contemporary study period, and the inclusion of meaningful outcomes such as peripartum hysterectomy, the researchers wrote.
The shift in blood transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy may reflect the implementation of protocols to promote early intervention and identification of postpartum hemorrhage, they concluded.
Interventions can have an effect
“Hemorrhage remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States and blood transfusion is the most common severe maternal morbidity,” Catherine M. Albright, MD, MS, associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, said in an interview. “It is important to understand the current state, especially given that many hospitals have implemented policies and procedures to better identify and treat postpartum hemorrhage,” she said.
Dr. Albright said, “I was pleased to see that they did not just look at a diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage but rather also looked at complications arising from postpartum hemorrhage, such as blood transfusion or hysterectomy.”
Postpartum hemorrhage is often a clinical diagnosis that uses estimated blood loss, a notoriously inaccurate measure, said Dr. Albright. “Additionally, the definitions of postpartum hemorrhage, as well as the ICD codes, changed during the time period of the study,” she noted. “These factors all could lead to both underreporting and overreporting of the true incidence of postpartum hemorrhage. Blood transfusion and hysterectomy are more objective outcomes and demonstrate true morbidity,” she said.
“Most of the risk factors that are listed in the article are not modifiable during that pregnancy,” said Dr. Albright. For example, a history of a prior cesarean or having a twin pregnancy is not something that can be changed, she said. “Many of the other risk factors or associated clinical factors, such as obesity, chronic hypertension, and pregestational diabetes, are modifiable, but before pregnancy. Universal and easy access to primary medical care prior to and between pregnancies may help to mitigate some of these factors,” she noted.
Looking ahead, “It would be helpful to ensure that these types of data are available at the state and hospital level; this will allow for local evaluation of programs that are in place to reduce postpartum hemorrhage risk and improve identification and treatment,” Dr. Albright said.
The study received no outside funding. Dr. Corbetta-Rastelli and Dr. Albright had no financial conflicts to disclose.
The rate of postpartum hemorrhage for hospital deliveries in the United States increased significantly over a 20-year period, according to data from more than 76 million delivery hospitalizations from the National Inpatient Sample.
Postpartum hemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and many clinical and patient-level risk factors appear to be on the rise, wrote Chiara M. Corbetta-Rastelli, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.
Although practice changes have been introduced to reduce postpartum hemorrhage, recent trends in postpartum hemorrhage risk and outcomes in the context of such changes as hemorrhage safety bundles have not been examined, they said.
In a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the researchers reviewed data from hospitalizations for females aged 15-54 years for deliveries between 2000 and 2019 using the National Inpatient Sample. They used a regression analysis to estimate average annual percentage changes (AAPC). Their objectives were to characterize trends and also to assess the association between risk factors and the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage and related interventions. Demographics, clinical factors, and hospital characteristics were mainly similar between the group of patients with postpartum hemorrhage and those with no postpartum hemorrhage.
Approximately 3% (2.3 million) of 76.7 million hospitalizations for delivery were complicated by postpartum hemorrhage during the study period, and the annual rate increased from 2.7% to 4.3%.
Overall, 21.4% of individuals with delivery hospitalizations complicated by postpartum hemorrhage had one postpartum risk factor, and 1.4% had two or more risk factors. The number of individuals with at least one risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage increased significantly, from 18.6% to 26.9%, during the study period, with an annual percentage change of 1.9%.
Compared with deliveries in individuals without risk factors, individuals with one risk factor had slightly higher odds of postpartum hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.14), but those with two or more risk factors were more than twice as likely to experience postpartum hemorrhage as those with no risk factors (OR, 2.31).
The researchers also examined the association of specific risk factors and interventions related to hemorrhage, notably blood transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy. Blood transfusions in individuals with postpartum hemorrhage increased from 5.4% to 16.7% between 2000 and 2011, (AAPC, 10.2%) then decreased from 16.7% to 12.6% from 2011 to 2019 (AAPC, –3.9%).
Peripartum hysterectomy in the study population increased from 1.4% to 2.4% from 2000 to 2009 (AAPC 5.0%), remained steady from 2009 to 2016, and then decreased from 2.1% to 0.9% from 2016 to 2019 (AAPC –27%).
Other risk factors associated with postpartum hemorrhage itself and with blood transfusion and hysterectomy in the setting of postpartum hemorrhage included prior cesarean delivery with placenta previa or accreta, placenta previa without prior cesarean delivery, and antepartum hemorrhage or placental abruption, the researchers noted.
“In addition to placental abnormalities, risk factors such as preeclampsia with severe features, polyhydramnios, and uterine leiomyomas demonstrated the highest rates of increase in our data,” they wrote in their discussion. These trends may lead to continuing increases in postpartum hemorrhage risk, which was not fully explained by the increase in risk factors seen in the current study, the researchers said.
The study findings were limited by several factors, including the use of billing codes that could lead to misclassification of diagnoses, as well as possible differences in the definition and coding for postpartum hemorrhage among hospitals, the researchers noted. Other limitations were the exclusion of cases of readmission for postpartum hemorrhage and lack of clinical details involving use of medications or nonoperative interventions, they said.
Notably, the study finding of stable to decreasing peripartum hysterectomy rates in hospitalized patients with postpartum hemorrhage conflicts with another recent study showing an increase in peripartum hysterectomy from 2009 to 2020, but this difference may reflect changes in billing, indications for hysterectomy, or study modeling, they said.
The current study was strengthened by the use of a large database to analyze population trends, a contemporary study period, and the inclusion of meaningful outcomes such as peripartum hysterectomy, the researchers wrote.
The shift in blood transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy may reflect the implementation of protocols to promote early intervention and identification of postpartum hemorrhage, they concluded.
Interventions can have an effect
“Hemorrhage remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States and blood transfusion is the most common severe maternal morbidity,” Catherine M. Albright, MD, MS, associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, said in an interview. “It is important to understand the current state, especially given that many hospitals have implemented policies and procedures to better identify and treat postpartum hemorrhage,” she said.
Dr. Albright said, “I was pleased to see that they did not just look at a diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage but rather also looked at complications arising from postpartum hemorrhage, such as blood transfusion or hysterectomy.”
Postpartum hemorrhage is often a clinical diagnosis that uses estimated blood loss, a notoriously inaccurate measure, said Dr. Albright. “Additionally, the definitions of postpartum hemorrhage, as well as the ICD codes, changed during the time period of the study,” she noted. “These factors all could lead to both underreporting and overreporting of the true incidence of postpartum hemorrhage. Blood transfusion and hysterectomy are more objective outcomes and demonstrate true morbidity,” she said.
“Most of the risk factors that are listed in the article are not modifiable during that pregnancy,” said Dr. Albright. For example, a history of a prior cesarean or having a twin pregnancy is not something that can be changed, she said. “Many of the other risk factors or associated clinical factors, such as obesity, chronic hypertension, and pregestational diabetes, are modifiable, but before pregnancy. Universal and easy access to primary medical care prior to and between pregnancies may help to mitigate some of these factors,” she noted.
Looking ahead, “It would be helpful to ensure that these types of data are available at the state and hospital level; this will allow for local evaluation of programs that are in place to reduce postpartum hemorrhage risk and improve identification and treatment,” Dr. Albright said.
The study received no outside funding. Dr. Corbetta-Rastelli and Dr. Albright had no financial conflicts to disclose.
FROM OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
More evidence in utero exposure to antiseizure meds safe for children’s cognition
NASHVILLE, TENN. – There is no negative impact of in utero exposure to antiseizure medications on children’s creativity, new research shows.
The results of this study, along with other research, suggest the risk for cognitive problems “is fairly low” overall for children of women with epilepsy taking lamotrigine or levetiracetam, study investigator, Kimford J. Meador, MD, professor, department of neurology & neurological sciences, Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, told this news organization.
“This is another encouraging piece that’s showing these new drugs are safe with regard to cognition.”
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society.
Capturing creativity
Fetal exposure to antiseizure medications can produce adverse neurodevelopmental effects. These are typically assessed using measures such as general intelligence, verbal/nonverbal abilities, or additional educational needs.
However, these measures don’t capture creativity, which “is related to intelligence but not completely,” said Dr. Meador. “I have seen wonderful examples of creativity in people who have a lot of cognitive impairment.”
He referred to one of his patients with epilepsy who is “spectacularly good” at painting with watercolors, even though she has significant cognitive impairment.
The new analysis is part of the MONEAD study, a prospective, observational multicenter study examining pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child. It included pregnant women who were enrolled at under 20 weeks’ gestational age.
The women with epilepsy in the study were primarily on monotherapy (73%), and of these, 82% were on lamotrigine or levetiracetam. About 22% were on polytherapy, of which 42% were on dual therapy with lamotrigine and levetiracetam.
Fluency, originality
Researchers assessed the children of these women at age 4½ years using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking-Figural (TTCT-F). This is a standardized assessment of creative thinking with index scores measuring such things as fluency, originality, abstractness, and elaboration.
Dr. Meador noted the research team used a shorter version of the test battery “so as to not wear out the families and kids.”
During the test, children were given lines of different shapes and asked to draw a picture using these lines. Dr. Meador pointed out the drawings ranged from quite basic to more intricate.
One child cleverly turned a few squiggly lines into a car. “I can look at this and say this kid’s going to do very well,” said Dr. Meador.
Investigators compared scores between 241 children of women with epilepsy (WWE) and 65 children of healthy women (HW). They adjusted for the mother’s IQ, education level, age at enrollment, gestation age at enrollment, post-birth average anxiety score, and the child’s ethnicity and sex.
Investigators found the mean TTCT-F scores did not differ significantly between the two groups: adjusted least squares mean of 89.5 (95% confidence interval, 86.7-92.3) for children of WWE, compared with adjusted least square mean of 92.0 (95% CI, 86.4-97.6) for children of HW.
Balancing act
The researchers haven’t looked at a dose effect in this current study, but Dr. Meador said it’s always “a balancing act” between giving enough of the drug to keep mothers from seizing, which affect both the mother and fetus, and giving as low a dose as possible to protect the fetus.
In addition, as medication levels change during pregnancy, he said he recommends that drug levels are monitored monthly so that medication can be adjusted as necessary.
Looking at what factors might predict creativity scores, researchers found children did less well creatively if their mother didn’t have a college degree (estimate –9.5; 95% CI, –17.9 to –1.2; P = .025).
“It looks like being in a home where the mother has had more education is going to have an impact on the kid’s thinking and creativity,” said Dr. Meador.
These new findings are consistent with a lack of differences in other cognitive abilities that Dr. Meador and his team found when the children were younger.
“At age 3, we did not find an overall difference in cognitive and verbal abilities and intelligence between the children of mothers with epilepsy and those of healthy women,” he said.
The researchers aim to assess cognitive and behavioral outcomes in these children when they are 6 years old.
Helpful information
Commenting on the findings, Stéphane Auvin, MD, PhD, chair of the department of pediatric neurology at the University of Paris, who co-moderated a platform session featuring the research, said the study “is an interesting measure of the impact of being exposed to antiseizure medications.”
Creativity is “complex,” he said. “It’s not only cognition; it could be things like behavior and impulsivity.”
The new information is “very helpful.” Focusing on something broader than just IQ “gives you a better picture of what’s going on.”
The study received funding from NIH, NINDS, and NICH. Dr. Meador has received grants from NIH/NINDS, NIH/NICHD, Veterans Administration, and Eisai. He has been a consultant for Epilepsy Consortium, Novartis, Supernus, Upsher Smith Labs, and UCB Pharma. Dr. Auvin reports no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
NASHVILLE, TENN. – There is no negative impact of in utero exposure to antiseizure medications on children’s creativity, new research shows.
The results of this study, along with other research, suggest the risk for cognitive problems “is fairly low” overall for children of women with epilepsy taking lamotrigine or levetiracetam, study investigator, Kimford J. Meador, MD, professor, department of neurology & neurological sciences, Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, told this news organization.
“This is another encouraging piece that’s showing these new drugs are safe with regard to cognition.”
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society.
Capturing creativity
Fetal exposure to antiseizure medications can produce adverse neurodevelopmental effects. These are typically assessed using measures such as general intelligence, verbal/nonverbal abilities, or additional educational needs.
However, these measures don’t capture creativity, which “is related to intelligence but not completely,” said Dr. Meador. “I have seen wonderful examples of creativity in people who have a lot of cognitive impairment.”
He referred to one of his patients with epilepsy who is “spectacularly good” at painting with watercolors, even though she has significant cognitive impairment.
The new analysis is part of the MONEAD study, a prospective, observational multicenter study examining pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child. It included pregnant women who were enrolled at under 20 weeks’ gestational age.
The women with epilepsy in the study were primarily on monotherapy (73%), and of these, 82% were on lamotrigine or levetiracetam. About 22% were on polytherapy, of which 42% were on dual therapy with lamotrigine and levetiracetam.
Fluency, originality
Researchers assessed the children of these women at age 4½ years using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking-Figural (TTCT-F). This is a standardized assessment of creative thinking with index scores measuring such things as fluency, originality, abstractness, and elaboration.
Dr. Meador noted the research team used a shorter version of the test battery “so as to not wear out the families and kids.”
During the test, children were given lines of different shapes and asked to draw a picture using these lines. Dr. Meador pointed out the drawings ranged from quite basic to more intricate.
One child cleverly turned a few squiggly lines into a car. “I can look at this and say this kid’s going to do very well,” said Dr. Meador.
Investigators compared scores between 241 children of women with epilepsy (WWE) and 65 children of healthy women (HW). They adjusted for the mother’s IQ, education level, age at enrollment, gestation age at enrollment, post-birth average anxiety score, and the child’s ethnicity and sex.
Investigators found the mean TTCT-F scores did not differ significantly between the two groups: adjusted least squares mean of 89.5 (95% confidence interval, 86.7-92.3) for children of WWE, compared with adjusted least square mean of 92.0 (95% CI, 86.4-97.6) for children of HW.
Balancing act
The researchers haven’t looked at a dose effect in this current study, but Dr. Meador said it’s always “a balancing act” between giving enough of the drug to keep mothers from seizing, which affect both the mother and fetus, and giving as low a dose as possible to protect the fetus.
In addition, as medication levels change during pregnancy, he said he recommends that drug levels are monitored monthly so that medication can be adjusted as necessary.
Looking at what factors might predict creativity scores, researchers found children did less well creatively if their mother didn’t have a college degree (estimate –9.5; 95% CI, –17.9 to –1.2; P = .025).
“It looks like being in a home where the mother has had more education is going to have an impact on the kid’s thinking and creativity,” said Dr. Meador.
These new findings are consistent with a lack of differences in other cognitive abilities that Dr. Meador and his team found when the children were younger.
“At age 3, we did not find an overall difference in cognitive and verbal abilities and intelligence between the children of mothers with epilepsy and those of healthy women,” he said.
The researchers aim to assess cognitive and behavioral outcomes in these children when they are 6 years old.
Helpful information
Commenting on the findings, Stéphane Auvin, MD, PhD, chair of the department of pediatric neurology at the University of Paris, who co-moderated a platform session featuring the research, said the study “is an interesting measure of the impact of being exposed to antiseizure medications.”
Creativity is “complex,” he said. “It’s not only cognition; it could be things like behavior and impulsivity.”
The new information is “very helpful.” Focusing on something broader than just IQ “gives you a better picture of what’s going on.”
The study received funding from NIH, NINDS, and NICH. Dr. Meador has received grants from NIH/NINDS, NIH/NICHD, Veterans Administration, and Eisai. He has been a consultant for Epilepsy Consortium, Novartis, Supernus, Upsher Smith Labs, and UCB Pharma. Dr. Auvin reports no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
NASHVILLE, TENN. – There is no negative impact of in utero exposure to antiseizure medications on children’s creativity, new research shows.
The results of this study, along with other research, suggest the risk for cognitive problems “is fairly low” overall for children of women with epilepsy taking lamotrigine or levetiracetam, study investigator, Kimford J. Meador, MD, professor, department of neurology & neurological sciences, Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, told this news organization.
“This is another encouraging piece that’s showing these new drugs are safe with regard to cognition.”
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society.
Capturing creativity
Fetal exposure to antiseizure medications can produce adverse neurodevelopmental effects. These are typically assessed using measures such as general intelligence, verbal/nonverbal abilities, or additional educational needs.
However, these measures don’t capture creativity, which “is related to intelligence but not completely,” said Dr. Meador. “I have seen wonderful examples of creativity in people who have a lot of cognitive impairment.”
He referred to one of his patients with epilepsy who is “spectacularly good” at painting with watercolors, even though she has significant cognitive impairment.
The new analysis is part of the MONEAD study, a prospective, observational multicenter study examining pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child. It included pregnant women who were enrolled at under 20 weeks’ gestational age.
The women with epilepsy in the study were primarily on monotherapy (73%), and of these, 82% were on lamotrigine or levetiracetam. About 22% were on polytherapy, of which 42% were on dual therapy with lamotrigine and levetiracetam.
Fluency, originality
Researchers assessed the children of these women at age 4½ years using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking-Figural (TTCT-F). This is a standardized assessment of creative thinking with index scores measuring such things as fluency, originality, abstractness, and elaboration.
Dr. Meador noted the research team used a shorter version of the test battery “so as to not wear out the families and kids.”
During the test, children were given lines of different shapes and asked to draw a picture using these lines. Dr. Meador pointed out the drawings ranged from quite basic to more intricate.
One child cleverly turned a few squiggly lines into a car. “I can look at this and say this kid’s going to do very well,” said Dr. Meador.
Investigators compared scores between 241 children of women with epilepsy (WWE) and 65 children of healthy women (HW). They adjusted for the mother’s IQ, education level, age at enrollment, gestation age at enrollment, post-birth average anxiety score, and the child’s ethnicity and sex.
Investigators found the mean TTCT-F scores did not differ significantly between the two groups: adjusted least squares mean of 89.5 (95% confidence interval, 86.7-92.3) for children of WWE, compared with adjusted least square mean of 92.0 (95% CI, 86.4-97.6) for children of HW.
Balancing act
The researchers haven’t looked at a dose effect in this current study, but Dr. Meador said it’s always “a balancing act” between giving enough of the drug to keep mothers from seizing, which affect both the mother and fetus, and giving as low a dose as possible to protect the fetus.
In addition, as medication levels change during pregnancy, he said he recommends that drug levels are monitored monthly so that medication can be adjusted as necessary.
Looking at what factors might predict creativity scores, researchers found children did less well creatively if their mother didn’t have a college degree (estimate –9.5; 95% CI, –17.9 to –1.2; P = .025).
“It looks like being in a home where the mother has had more education is going to have an impact on the kid’s thinking and creativity,” said Dr. Meador.
These new findings are consistent with a lack of differences in other cognitive abilities that Dr. Meador and his team found when the children were younger.
“At age 3, we did not find an overall difference in cognitive and verbal abilities and intelligence between the children of mothers with epilepsy and those of healthy women,” he said.
The researchers aim to assess cognitive and behavioral outcomes in these children when they are 6 years old.
Helpful information
Commenting on the findings, Stéphane Auvin, MD, PhD, chair of the department of pediatric neurology at the University of Paris, who co-moderated a platform session featuring the research, said the study “is an interesting measure of the impact of being exposed to antiseizure medications.”
Creativity is “complex,” he said. “It’s not only cognition; it could be things like behavior and impulsivity.”
The new information is “very helpful.” Focusing on something broader than just IQ “gives you a better picture of what’s going on.”
The study received funding from NIH, NINDS, and NICH. Dr. Meador has received grants from NIH/NINDS, NIH/NICHD, Veterans Administration, and Eisai. He has been a consultant for Epilepsy Consortium, Novartis, Supernus, Upsher Smith Labs, and UCB Pharma. Dr. Auvin reports no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM AES 2022
U.S. News & World Report releases best hospitals for maternity care with changes, few high performing
U.S. News & World Report has released its Best Hospitals for Maternity Care rankings for 2022. The rankings are intended to assist expectant mothers in making informed decisions about maternal health care for uncomplicated pregnancies.
The ratings assess eight aspects of care. Three categories are new – rates of episiotomy; transparency for racial and ethnic disparities; and adherence to federal guidelines for birthing friendly practices, which include efforts by staff to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Of the 649 hospitals reviewed, 297 received a mark of “high performing.” Hospitals included in the high-performing category were Thomas Hospital, Fairhope, Ala.; Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center; and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. Over 300 hospitals received a ranking of “not high performing.”
Min Hee Seo, a senior health data analyst at U.S. News & World Report, said the new additions to the ranking system will help parents make more informed decisions about their maternal care. The information on racial and ethnic disparities could help patients make decisions about the equity of their care, Dr. Seo also said.
“By validating hospitals solely on their objective data and performance, we are providing more information to patients or families who are in need,” she said.
To produce the maternity care rankings – which first appeared in 2021 – the magazine focused on data from 2020 for each hospital it evaluated. The data were derived from government sources and through surveys of hospitals that provide maternity care.
In addition to the three new measures, the five indicators in the rankings are rates of cesarean delivery in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complications, exclusive breast milk feeding, early elective delivery, and options for vaginal birth after cesarean delivery.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings for education have come under scrutiny recently, and some schools are no longer participating in the popular feature. However, Dr. Seo said the controversy does not affect the hospital rankings. She said expectant mothers and doctors frequently use the data in hospital rankings to improve quality of care and to have conversations about care with patients.
“Providers can use these rankings to make references and transfer patients to where they will receive the best care,” she said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
U.S. News & World Report has released its Best Hospitals for Maternity Care rankings for 2022. The rankings are intended to assist expectant mothers in making informed decisions about maternal health care for uncomplicated pregnancies.
The ratings assess eight aspects of care. Three categories are new – rates of episiotomy; transparency for racial and ethnic disparities; and adherence to federal guidelines for birthing friendly practices, which include efforts by staff to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Of the 649 hospitals reviewed, 297 received a mark of “high performing.” Hospitals included in the high-performing category were Thomas Hospital, Fairhope, Ala.; Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center; and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. Over 300 hospitals received a ranking of “not high performing.”
Min Hee Seo, a senior health data analyst at U.S. News & World Report, said the new additions to the ranking system will help parents make more informed decisions about their maternal care. The information on racial and ethnic disparities could help patients make decisions about the equity of their care, Dr. Seo also said.
“By validating hospitals solely on their objective data and performance, we are providing more information to patients or families who are in need,” she said.
To produce the maternity care rankings – which first appeared in 2021 – the magazine focused on data from 2020 for each hospital it evaluated. The data were derived from government sources and through surveys of hospitals that provide maternity care.
In addition to the three new measures, the five indicators in the rankings are rates of cesarean delivery in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complications, exclusive breast milk feeding, early elective delivery, and options for vaginal birth after cesarean delivery.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings for education have come under scrutiny recently, and some schools are no longer participating in the popular feature. However, Dr. Seo said the controversy does not affect the hospital rankings. She said expectant mothers and doctors frequently use the data in hospital rankings to improve quality of care and to have conversations about care with patients.
“Providers can use these rankings to make references and transfer patients to where they will receive the best care,” she said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
U.S. News & World Report has released its Best Hospitals for Maternity Care rankings for 2022. The rankings are intended to assist expectant mothers in making informed decisions about maternal health care for uncomplicated pregnancies.
The ratings assess eight aspects of care. Three categories are new – rates of episiotomy; transparency for racial and ethnic disparities; and adherence to federal guidelines for birthing friendly practices, which include efforts by staff to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Of the 649 hospitals reviewed, 297 received a mark of “high performing.” Hospitals included in the high-performing category were Thomas Hospital, Fairhope, Ala.; Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center; and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. Over 300 hospitals received a ranking of “not high performing.”
Min Hee Seo, a senior health data analyst at U.S. News & World Report, said the new additions to the ranking system will help parents make more informed decisions about their maternal care. The information on racial and ethnic disparities could help patients make decisions about the equity of their care, Dr. Seo also said.
“By validating hospitals solely on their objective data and performance, we are providing more information to patients or families who are in need,” she said.
To produce the maternity care rankings – which first appeared in 2021 – the magazine focused on data from 2020 for each hospital it evaluated. The data were derived from government sources and through surveys of hospitals that provide maternity care.
In addition to the three new measures, the five indicators in the rankings are rates of cesarean delivery in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complications, exclusive breast milk feeding, early elective delivery, and options for vaginal birth after cesarean delivery.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings for education have come under scrutiny recently, and some schools are no longer participating in the popular feature. However, Dr. Seo said the controversy does not affect the hospital rankings. She said expectant mothers and doctors frequently use the data in hospital rankings to improve quality of care and to have conversations about care with patients.
“Providers can use these rankings to make references and transfer patients to where they will receive the best care,” she said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Not all plant-based diets equal for CRC risk reduction
although the strength of the association may vary by race and ethnicity and tumor site, new research shows.
The “take-home message is that improving the quality of plant foods and reducing animal food consumption can help prevent colorectal cancer in men,” Jihye Kim told this news organization.
The findings suggest that “not all plant-based diets are the same with regard to colorectal cancer protection/risk,” said Ms. Kim, a professor in the College of Life and Sciences at Kyung Hee University in South Korea.
The study was published online in BMC Medicine.
The researchers investigated the risk for CRC in association with three plant-based dietary patterns defined by a priori indices: an overall plant-based diet index (PDI), a healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and an unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI).
All three indices negatively weigh animal foods but weigh plant foods differently depending on their nutritional quality.
Examples of foods contained in the hPDI include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts, legumes, tea, and coffee. Foods in the uPDI include refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, and added sugars.
They calculated the PDI, hPDI, and uPDI using data from quantitative food frequency questionnaires provided by 79,952 men (mean age, 60 years at baseline) and 93,475 women (mean age, 59 years at baseline) in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.
During a mean follow-up of about 19 years, 4,976 participants developed CRC.
The plant-based diet indices were significantly inversely associated with the risk for CRC in men.
Researchers found that men with the greatest adherence to PDI and hPDI had a 24% (hazard ratio, 0.76) and 21% (HR, 0.79) lower risk for CRC, respectively, compared with men with the lowest adherence. No significant association was found between the risk for CRC in men and uPDI.
None of the plant-based diet indices was significantly associated with the risk for CRC in women, which could be because of different dietary habits between men and women, the researchers say.
In general, women consume more plant foods and less animal foods than men do, they point out.
In addition, women in the Multiethnic Cohort Study consumed higher amounts of healthy plant foods and lower amounts of less healthy plant foods compared with men, so they may not have further benefits with high scores of plant-based diet indices. Also, men are at higher risk for CRC than women are in general.
These findings suggest that the benefits from plant-based diets may vary by sex, race, and ethnicity, and anatomic subsite of tumor.
In men, the inverse association of overall PDI was greater in Japanese American, Native Hawaiian, and White groups than in African American and Latino groups, and for left colon and rectum tumors than for right colon tumors. The decreased risk with the hPDI was suggested across racial and ethnic groups and was observed for all tumor subsites.
“It was interesting to see that the association of a plant-based diet with CRC varied by race and ethnicity. It is not clear why. It could be nondietary lifestyle factors or genetic factors,” Ms. Kim told this news organization.
“We should investigate that more in the future,” Ms. Kim added.
By way of limitations, it’s possible that residual or unmeasured confounding might exist despite adjustment for key CRC risk factors, the researchers say. However, the subgroup analyses suggest that the impact of residual confounding due to body mass index, smoking status, and alcohol consumption was “minimal,” they note.
Another limitation is that the analysis was based on diet measured only at baseline, but dietary habits might change over time.
Overall, the findings “support that improving the quality of plant foods and reducing animal food consumption can help prevent colorectal cancer,” Ms. Kim and colleagues say.
The study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the U.S. National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. The authors have declared no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
although the strength of the association may vary by race and ethnicity and tumor site, new research shows.
The “take-home message is that improving the quality of plant foods and reducing animal food consumption can help prevent colorectal cancer in men,” Jihye Kim told this news organization.
The findings suggest that “not all plant-based diets are the same with regard to colorectal cancer protection/risk,” said Ms. Kim, a professor in the College of Life and Sciences at Kyung Hee University in South Korea.
The study was published online in BMC Medicine.
The researchers investigated the risk for CRC in association with three plant-based dietary patterns defined by a priori indices: an overall plant-based diet index (PDI), a healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and an unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI).
All three indices negatively weigh animal foods but weigh plant foods differently depending on their nutritional quality.
Examples of foods contained in the hPDI include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts, legumes, tea, and coffee. Foods in the uPDI include refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, and added sugars.
They calculated the PDI, hPDI, and uPDI using data from quantitative food frequency questionnaires provided by 79,952 men (mean age, 60 years at baseline) and 93,475 women (mean age, 59 years at baseline) in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.
During a mean follow-up of about 19 years, 4,976 participants developed CRC.
The plant-based diet indices were significantly inversely associated with the risk for CRC in men.
Researchers found that men with the greatest adherence to PDI and hPDI had a 24% (hazard ratio, 0.76) and 21% (HR, 0.79) lower risk for CRC, respectively, compared with men with the lowest adherence. No significant association was found between the risk for CRC in men and uPDI.
None of the plant-based diet indices was significantly associated with the risk for CRC in women, which could be because of different dietary habits between men and women, the researchers say.
In general, women consume more plant foods and less animal foods than men do, they point out.
In addition, women in the Multiethnic Cohort Study consumed higher amounts of healthy plant foods and lower amounts of less healthy plant foods compared with men, so they may not have further benefits with high scores of plant-based diet indices. Also, men are at higher risk for CRC than women are in general.
These findings suggest that the benefits from plant-based diets may vary by sex, race, and ethnicity, and anatomic subsite of tumor.
In men, the inverse association of overall PDI was greater in Japanese American, Native Hawaiian, and White groups than in African American and Latino groups, and for left colon and rectum tumors than for right colon tumors. The decreased risk with the hPDI was suggested across racial and ethnic groups and was observed for all tumor subsites.
“It was interesting to see that the association of a plant-based diet with CRC varied by race and ethnicity. It is not clear why. It could be nondietary lifestyle factors or genetic factors,” Ms. Kim told this news organization.
“We should investigate that more in the future,” Ms. Kim added.
By way of limitations, it’s possible that residual or unmeasured confounding might exist despite adjustment for key CRC risk factors, the researchers say. However, the subgroup analyses suggest that the impact of residual confounding due to body mass index, smoking status, and alcohol consumption was “minimal,” they note.
Another limitation is that the analysis was based on diet measured only at baseline, but dietary habits might change over time.
Overall, the findings “support that improving the quality of plant foods and reducing animal food consumption can help prevent colorectal cancer,” Ms. Kim and colleagues say.
The study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the U.S. National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. The authors have declared no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
although the strength of the association may vary by race and ethnicity and tumor site, new research shows.
The “take-home message is that improving the quality of plant foods and reducing animal food consumption can help prevent colorectal cancer in men,” Jihye Kim told this news organization.
The findings suggest that “not all plant-based diets are the same with regard to colorectal cancer protection/risk,” said Ms. Kim, a professor in the College of Life and Sciences at Kyung Hee University in South Korea.
The study was published online in BMC Medicine.
The researchers investigated the risk for CRC in association with three plant-based dietary patterns defined by a priori indices: an overall plant-based diet index (PDI), a healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and an unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI).
All three indices negatively weigh animal foods but weigh plant foods differently depending on their nutritional quality.
Examples of foods contained in the hPDI include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts, legumes, tea, and coffee. Foods in the uPDI include refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, and added sugars.
They calculated the PDI, hPDI, and uPDI using data from quantitative food frequency questionnaires provided by 79,952 men (mean age, 60 years at baseline) and 93,475 women (mean age, 59 years at baseline) in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.
During a mean follow-up of about 19 years, 4,976 participants developed CRC.
The plant-based diet indices were significantly inversely associated with the risk for CRC in men.
Researchers found that men with the greatest adherence to PDI and hPDI had a 24% (hazard ratio, 0.76) and 21% (HR, 0.79) lower risk for CRC, respectively, compared with men with the lowest adherence. No significant association was found between the risk for CRC in men and uPDI.
None of the plant-based diet indices was significantly associated with the risk for CRC in women, which could be because of different dietary habits between men and women, the researchers say.
In general, women consume more plant foods and less animal foods than men do, they point out.
In addition, women in the Multiethnic Cohort Study consumed higher amounts of healthy plant foods and lower amounts of less healthy plant foods compared with men, so they may not have further benefits with high scores of plant-based diet indices. Also, men are at higher risk for CRC than women are in general.
These findings suggest that the benefits from plant-based diets may vary by sex, race, and ethnicity, and anatomic subsite of tumor.
In men, the inverse association of overall PDI was greater in Japanese American, Native Hawaiian, and White groups than in African American and Latino groups, and for left colon and rectum tumors than for right colon tumors. The decreased risk with the hPDI was suggested across racial and ethnic groups and was observed for all tumor subsites.
“It was interesting to see that the association of a plant-based diet with CRC varied by race and ethnicity. It is not clear why. It could be nondietary lifestyle factors or genetic factors,” Ms. Kim told this news organization.
“We should investigate that more in the future,” Ms. Kim added.
By way of limitations, it’s possible that residual or unmeasured confounding might exist despite adjustment for key CRC risk factors, the researchers say. However, the subgroup analyses suggest that the impact of residual confounding due to body mass index, smoking status, and alcohol consumption was “minimal,” they note.
Another limitation is that the analysis was based on diet measured only at baseline, but dietary habits might change over time.
Overall, the findings “support that improving the quality of plant foods and reducing animal food consumption can help prevent colorectal cancer,” Ms. Kim and colleagues say.
The study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the U.S. National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. The authors have declared no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM BMC MEDICINE
Overdose deaths up 81% in pregnant, postpartum women
Drug overdose deaths in pregnant and postpartum women rose by about 81% from 2017 to 2020, researchers report in a JAMA research letter published online Dec. 6.
Pregnancy-associated overdose deaths were highest in 2020 as the COVID pandemic began, according to the researchers, Emilie Bruzelius, MPH, and Silvia S. Martins, MD, PHD, with the department of epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health in New York.
The deaths were identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) pregnancy-related codes and death certificate pregnancy checkbox status.
The checkbox, part of all states’ death certificates, asks whether the person was pregnant at the time of death, within 42 days of death (early postpartum) or within 43-365 days of death (late postpartum).
Sharp increase at start of COVID pandemic
The authors note that pregnancy-related overdose deaths have been climbing from 2007 to 2019, but increased sharply in 2020.
“Pregnant and postpartum persons are known to face barriers to accessing drug treatment and harm-reduction services, which when compounded by pandemic-associated stressors, health care shutdowns, and increasingly volatile unregulated drug supply may have increased fatal overdose risk,” the authors write.
Of the 7,642 pregnancy-related deaths in the study period, 1,249 were overdose-related, leading to a cumulative overdose death rate of 8.35 per 100,000. From 2017 to 2020, pregnancy-related overdose deaths rose from 6.56 to 11.85 per 100,000. That translates to an absolute change rate of 5.30 per 100,000 and a relative increase of 81%.
The trend mirrors a pattern in people of reproductive age overall, the authors write.
Overdose mortality among reproductive age women similarly increased from 14.37 to 19.76 per 100,000 (absolute change rate, 5.39 [95% confidence interval, 4.94-5.85] per 100,000; relative increase of 38%).
Fentanyl deaths increase
The researchers found large increases in deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetics and psychostimulants (methamphetamine and cocaine, for example).
Pregnancy-associated overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines, heroin, and prescription opioids, however, were mostly stable from 2017 to 2020.
Numbers of late postpartum overdose deaths were notable in the paper.
In that group, there were 3.95 deaths per 100,000, compared with those pregnant at the time of death (2.99 per 100,000 or those identified as early postpartum (1.39 per 100 000).
Davida Schiff, MD, director of the Perinatal and Family-based Substance Use Disorder Care Massachusetts General Hospital substance use disorders initiative in Boston, told this publication it’s important to realize from this study that late postpartum period is the highest-risk period and also the time “when many states that have not expanded Medicaid cut off insurance needed to access life-saving health care services.”“Pregnancy is an important touch point of increased health care access, yet pregnant and parenting people face unique social and legal consequences from their substance use,” Dr. Schiff said.
She added, “I’m left wondering how many of the deaths reported could have been avoided if fear of a punitive response when engaging with our health care system had not prevented them from seeking out the care they needed.”
Dr. Schiff said the study highlights the importance of the pregnancy-checkbox addition to death records to better characterize pregnancy-associated deaths that previously were likely undercounted.
The authors and Dr. Schiff declare no relevant financial relationships.
Drug overdose deaths in pregnant and postpartum women rose by about 81% from 2017 to 2020, researchers report in a JAMA research letter published online Dec. 6.
Pregnancy-associated overdose deaths were highest in 2020 as the COVID pandemic began, according to the researchers, Emilie Bruzelius, MPH, and Silvia S. Martins, MD, PHD, with the department of epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health in New York.
The deaths were identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) pregnancy-related codes and death certificate pregnancy checkbox status.
The checkbox, part of all states’ death certificates, asks whether the person was pregnant at the time of death, within 42 days of death (early postpartum) or within 43-365 days of death (late postpartum).
Sharp increase at start of COVID pandemic
The authors note that pregnancy-related overdose deaths have been climbing from 2007 to 2019, but increased sharply in 2020.
“Pregnant and postpartum persons are known to face barriers to accessing drug treatment and harm-reduction services, which when compounded by pandemic-associated stressors, health care shutdowns, and increasingly volatile unregulated drug supply may have increased fatal overdose risk,” the authors write.
Of the 7,642 pregnancy-related deaths in the study period, 1,249 were overdose-related, leading to a cumulative overdose death rate of 8.35 per 100,000. From 2017 to 2020, pregnancy-related overdose deaths rose from 6.56 to 11.85 per 100,000. That translates to an absolute change rate of 5.30 per 100,000 and a relative increase of 81%.
The trend mirrors a pattern in people of reproductive age overall, the authors write.
Overdose mortality among reproductive age women similarly increased from 14.37 to 19.76 per 100,000 (absolute change rate, 5.39 [95% confidence interval, 4.94-5.85] per 100,000; relative increase of 38%).
Fentanyl deaths increase
The researchers found large increases in deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetics and psychostimulants (methamphetamine and cocaine, for example).
Pregnancy-associated overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines, heroin, and prescription opioids, however, were mostly stable from 2017 to 2020.
Numbers of late postpartum overdose deaths were notable in the paper.
In that group, there were 3.95 deaths per 100,000, compared with those pregnant at the time of death (2.99 per 100,000 or those identified as early postpartum (1.39 per 100 000).
Davida Schiff, MD, director of the Perinatal and Family-based Substance Use Disorder Care Massachusetts General Hospital substance use disorders initiative in Boston, told this publication it’s important to realize from this study that late postpartum period is the highest-risk period and also the time “when many states that have not expanded Medicaid cut off insurance needed to access life-saving health care services.”“Pregnancy is an important touch point of increased health care access, yet pregnant and parenting people face unique social and legal consequences from their substance use,” Dr. Schiff said.
She added, “I’m left wondering how many of the deaths reported could have been avoided if fear of a punitive response when engaging with our health care system had not prevented them from seeking out the care they needed.”
Dr. Schiff said the study highlights the importance of the pregnancy-checkbox addition to death records to better characterize pregnancy-associated deaths that previously were likely undercounted.
The authors and Dr. Schiff declare no relevant financial relationships.
Drug overdose deaths in pregnant and postpartum women rose by about 81% from 2017 to 2020, researchers report in a JAMA research letter published online Dec. 6.
Pregnancy-associated overdose deaths were highest in 2020 as the COVID pandemic began, according to the researchers, Emilie Bruzelius, MPH, and Silvia S. Martins, MD, PHD, with the department of epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health in New York.
The deaths were identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) pregnancy-related codes and death certificate pregnancy checkbox status.
The checkbox, part of all states’ death certificates, asks whether the person was pregnant at the time of death, within 42 days of death (early postpartum) or within 43-365 days of death (late postpartum).
Sharp increase at start of COVID pandemic
The authors note that pregnancy-related overdose deaths have been climbing from 2007 to 2019, but increased sharply in 2020.
“Pregnant and postpartum persons are known to face barriers to accessing drug treatment and harm-reduction services, which when compounded by pandemic-associated stressors, health care shutdowns, and increasingly volatile unregulated drug supply may have increased fatal overdose risk,” the authors write.
Of the 7,642 pregnancy-related deaths in the study period, 1,249 were overdose-related, leading to a cumulative overdose death rate of 8.35 per 100,000. From 2017 to 2020, pregnancy-related overdose deaths rose from 6.56 to 11.85 per 100,000. That translates to an absolute change rate of 5.30 per 100,000 and a relative increase of 81%.
The trend mirrors a pattern in people of reproductive age overall, the authors write.
Overdose mortality among reproductive age women similarly increased from 14.37 to 19.76 per 100,000 (absolute change rate, 5.39 [95% confidence interval, 4.94-5.85] per 100,000; relative increase of 38%).
Fentanyl deaths increase
The researchers found large increases in deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetics and psychostimulants (methamphetamine and cocaine, for example).
Pregnancy-associated overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines, heroin, and prescription opioids, however, were mostly stable from 2017 to 2020.
Numbers of late postpartum overdose deaths were notable in the paper.
In that group, there were 3.95 deaths per 100,000, compared with those pregnant at the time of death (2.99 per 100,000 or those identified as early postpartum (1.39 per 100 000).
Davida Schiff, MD, director of the Perinatal and Family-based Substance Use Disorder Care Massachusetts General Hospital substance use disorders initiative in Boston, told this publication it’s important to realize from this study that late postpartum period is the highest-risk period and also the time “when many states that have not expanded Medicaid cut off insurance needed to access life-saving health care services.”“Pregnancy is an important touch point of increased health care access, yet pregnant and parenting people face unique social and legal consequences from their substance use,” Dr. Schiff said.
She added, “I’m left wondering how many of the deaths reported could have been avoided if fear of a punitive response when engaging with our health care system had not prevented them from seeking out the care they needed.”
Dr. Schiff said the study highlights the importance of the pregnancy-checkbox addition to death records to better characterize pregnancy-associated deaths that previously were likely undercounted.
The authors and Dr. Schiff declare no relevant financial relationships.
FROM JAMA
Injury in pregnant women ups cerebral palsy risk in offspring
The offspring of mothers who sustain unintentional injuries during pregnancy appear to have a modest 33% increased risk of developing cerebral palsy (CP) – higher when injuries are more severe, multiple, or lead to delivery soon afterward, a Canadian birth cohort study found.
Such children may benefit from long-term monitoring for neurodevelpmental issues, wrote a group led by Asma Ahmed, MD, PhD, MPH, a pediatric epidemiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto in JAMA Pediatrics.
“We need to provide better support for babies whose mothers have been injured in pregnancy, especially after severe injuries,” Dr. Ahmed said in a press release. “As well, these findings suggest the need for early monitoring of babies’ development, regular check-ups, and longer-term neurodevelopmental assessments.” Future studies should directly measure injury severity and its possible link to CP.
Current guidelines, however, focus on monitoring fetal condition immediately after injury with little attention to its long-term effects.
In their findings from the population-based linkage study of 2,110,177 children born in Ontario’s public health system during 2002-2017 and followed to 2018 with a median follow-up of 8 years:
- A total of 81,281 fetuses were exposed in utero to unintentional maternal injury.
- Overall, 0.3% children were diagnosed with CP, and the mean CP incidence rates were 4.36 per 10,000 child-years for the exposed versus 2.93 for the unexposed.
- In those exposed, the hazard ratio was 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.50) after adjusting for maternal sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.
- Injuries resulting in hospitalization or delivery within 1 week were linked to higher adjusted hazard ratios of 2.18 (95% CI, 1.29-3.68) and 3.40 (95% CI, 1.93-6.00), respectively.
- Injuries most frequently resulted from transportation mishaps, falls, and being struck by a person or object. They were most commonly associated with age younger than 20 years, substance use disorder, residence in rural and under-resourced areas, and lower socioeconomic status.
The authors noted that complications after maternal injuries – which affect 6%-8% of pregnant women – include uterine rupture, preterm delivery, and placental abruption and are linked to fetal complications such as asphyxia. The association with an offspring’s neurodevelopment has been rarely investigated. One U.K. population study, however, suggested a link between vehicular crashes and higher CP risk in preterm infants.
A related editorial on the study noted that while CP affects about two to four children per 1,000 live births each year in high-income countries, the etiological causes of most cases remain unknown. “This large population-based cohort study ... should inspire more research into preventing and mitigating factors for maternal injuries and offspring CP development,” wrote Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, and Haoran Zhuo, MPH, of Yale University School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn.
This study was supported by Santé-Québec and ICES, a research institute funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Dr. Ahmed and coauthor Seungmi Yang, PhD, reported research funding from Santé-Québec during the conduct of the study.
The offspring of mothers who sustain unintentional injuries during pregnancy appear to have a modest 33% increased risk of developing cerebral palsy (CP) – higher when injuries are more severe, multiple, or lead to delivery soon afterward, a Canadian birth cohort study found.
Such children may benefit from long-term monitoring for neurodevelpmental issues, wrote a group led by Asma Ahmed, MD, PhD, MPH, a pediatric epidemiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto in JAMA Pediatrics.
“We need to provide better support for babies whose mothers have been injured in pregnancy, especially after severe injuries,” Dr. Ahmed said in a press release. “As well, these findings suggest the need for early monitoring of babies’ development, regular check-ups, and longer-term neurodevelopmental assessments.” Future studies should directly measure injury severity and its possible link to CP.
Current guidelines, however, focus on monitoring fetal condition immediately after injury with little attention to its long-term effects.
In their findings from the population-based linkage study of 2,110,177 children born in Ontario’s public health system during 2002-2017 and followed to 2018 with a median follow-up of 8 years:
- A total of 81,281 fetuses were exposed in utero to unintentional maternal injury.
- Overall, 0.3% children were diagnosed with CP, and the mean CP incidence rates were 4.36 per 10,000 child-years for the exposed versus 2.93 for the unexposed.
- In those exposed, the hazard ratio was 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.50) after adjusting for maternal sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.
- Injuries resulting in hospitalization or delivery within 1 week were linked to higher adjusted hazard ratios of 2.18 (95% CI, 1.29-3.68) and 3.40 (95% CI, 1.93-6.00), respectively.
- Injuries most frequently resulted from transportation mishaps, falls, and being struck by a person or object. They were most commonly associated with age younger than 20 years, substance use disorder, residence in rural and under-resourced areas, and lower socioeconomic status.
The authors noted that complications after maternal injuries – which affect 6%-8% of pregnant women – include uterine rupture, preterm delivery, and placental abruption and are linked to fetal complications such as asphyxia. The association with an offspring’s neurodevelopment has been rarely investigated. One U.K. population study, however, suggested a link between vehicular crashes and higher CP risk in preterm infants.
A related editorial on the study noted that while CP affects about two to four children per 1,000 live births each year in high-income countries, the etiological causes of most cases remain unknown. “This large population-based cohort study ... should inspire more research into preventing and mitigating factors for maternal injuries and offspring CP development,” wrote Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, and Haoran Zhuo, MPH, of Yale University School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn.
This study was supported by Santé-Québec and ICES, a research institute funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Dr. Ahmed and coauthor Seungmi Yang, PhD, reported research funding from Santé-Québec during the conduct of the study.
The offspring of mothers who sustain unintentional injuries during pregnancy appear to have a modest 33% increased risk of developing cerebral palsy (CP) – higher when injuries are more severe, multiple, or lead to delivery soon afterward, a Canadian birth cohort study found.
Such children may benefit from long-term monitoring for neurodevelpmental issues, wrote a group led by Asma Ahmed, MD, PhD, MPH, a pediatric epidemiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto in JAMA Pediatrics.
“We need to provide better support for babies whose mothers have been injured in pregnancy, especially after severe injuries,” Dr. Ahmed said in a press release. “As well, these findings suggest the need for early monitoring of babies’ development, regular check-ups, and longer-term neurodevelopmental assessments.” Future studies should directly measure injury severity and its possible link to CP.
Current guidelines, however, focus on monitoring fetal condition immediately after injury with little attention to its long-term effects.
In their findings from the population-based linkage study of 2,110,177 children born in Ontario’s public health system during 2002-2017 and followed to 2018 with a median follow-up of 8 years:
- A total of 81,281 fetuses were exposed in utero to unintentional maternal injury.
- Overall, 0.3% children were diagnosed with CP, and the mean CP incidence rates were 4.36 per 10,000 child-years for the exposed versus 2.93 for the unexposed.
- In those exposed, the hazard ratio was 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.50) after adjusting for maternal sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.
- Injuries resulting in hospitalization or delivery within 1 week were linked to higher adjusted hazard ratios of 2.18 (95% CI, 1.29-3.68) and 3.40 (95% CI, 1.93-6.00), respectively.
- Injuries most frequently resulted from transportation mishaps, falls, and being struck by a person or object. They were most commonly associated with age younger than 20 years, substance use disorder, residence in rural and under-resourced areas, and lower socioeconomic status.
The authors noted that complications after maternal injuries – which affect 6%-8% of pregnant women – include uterine rupture, preterm delivery, and placental abruption and are linked to fetal complications such as asphyxia. The association with an offspring’s neurodevelopment has been rarely investigated. One U.K. population study, however, suggested a link between vehicular crashes and higher CP risk in preterm infants.
A related editorial on the study noted that while CP affects about two to four children per 1,000 live births each year in high-income countries, the etiological causes of most cases remain unknown. “This large population-based cohort study ... should inspire more research into preventing and mitigating factors for maternal injuries and offspring CP development,” wrote Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, and Haoran Zhuo, MPH, of Yale University School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn.
This study was supported by Santé-Québec and ICES, a research institute funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Dr. Ahmed and coauthor Seungmi Yang, PhD, reported research funding from Santé-Québec during the conduct of the study.
FROM JAMA PEDIATRICS
Deductibles a threat to more imaging after abnormal mammogram
CHICAGO – One in five women will skip further imaging after an abnormal mammogram if they have to pay out of pocket before their deductible is met, new data indicate.
“The ACA [Affordable Care Act] removed out-of-pocket costs for screening mammograms under most health plans to encourage women to partake in this important preventative health care measure,” Michael Ngo, MD, a radiology resident at Boston Medical Center and Boston University, said in a statement.
However, the screening mammogram is only the first step. If it’s abnormal, additional tests and a biopsy help determine whether the patient has cancer. The ACA does not mandate coverage for those, Dr. Ngo noted.
Dr. Ngo was lead author of the study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Researchers collected 932 surveys. Asked whether they would skip follow-up imaging if they knew that they would have to pay a deductible, 151 of 714 (21.2%) said that they would skip the imaging; 424 (59.4%) said that they would not skip further imaging; and 139 (19.5%) were undecided. Responses differed by race, education level, household income, and insurance payer.
Groups most likely to forgo further tests
The groups with the highest percentage of persons who would skip additional imaging were Hispanic persons (33%); persons whose level of education was high school or less (31.0%); persons with a household income of less than $35,000 (27%); and those covered by Medicaid or who were uninsured (31.5%).
Wendie Berg, MD, PhD, professor of radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, who was not part of the study, said that because insurance companies had to cover initial mammograms fully under the ACA, “they generally increased deductibles. That resulted in more charges to patients when they came in for additional testing.
“It caught a lot of women by surprise,” she told this news organization.
The out-of-pocket charges can escalate with each step – more images, a biopsy, then more if they do have cancer, she said. This puts patients on the hook for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in medical bills.
However, Dr. Berg said, “The vast majority of women – 95% – who are called back for additional testing don’t have cancer. It is a problem that a lot of women will experience the cost and don’t have any benefit.”
Reducing false-positive recalls
The study highlights several things, she said. One is that “it’s incumbent on all of us to reduce false-positive recalls, which is one of the benefits of 3-D mammogram.”
Physicians who order additional tests must also consider the financial burden for patients, she said.
Some states have tackled the issue, she said. “Seven states do require insurance to cover diagnostic testing.” But those states differ in the extent of the coverage. DenseBreast-info.org, a website she helps with on a volunteer basis, explains the benefits by state.
Further compounding the problem is that not every insurer is subject to state law, she said.
Many states have programs that cover the cost for those who meet income requirements, although, she noted, some women make too much to qualify.
“It would be great to have a federal law that is inclusive,” she said.
Education efforts may help
Brian N. Dontchos, MD, with the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not part of the study, views the data another way. He told this news organization, “It is encouraging from the study that the majority of women would pursue additional imaging after an abnormal screening mammogram despite incurring more cost.”
He said that since direct patient education “has been shown to be effective in improving patient participation in screening programs, it is possible that, with more education of patients and providers, that advocacy could influence payers to support downstream imaging and biopsies that result from screening programs.”
Dr. Ngo, Dr. Berg, and Dr. Dontchos report no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
CHICAGO – One in five women will skip further imaging after an abnormal mammogram if they have to pay out of pocket before their deductible is met, new data indicate.
“The ACA [Affordable Care Act] removed out-of-pocket costs for screening mammograms under most health plans to encourage women to partake in this important preventative health care measure,” Michael Ngo, MD, a radiology resident at Boston Medical Center and Boston University, said in a statement.
However, the screening mammogram is only the first step. If it’s abnormal, additional tests and a biopsy help determine whether the patient has cancer. The ACA does not mandate coverage for those, Dr. Ngo noted.
Dr. Ngo was lead author of the study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Researchers collected 932 surveys. Asked whether they would skip follow-up imaging if they knew that they would have to pay a deductible, 151 of 714 (21.2%) said that they would skip the imaging; 424 (59.4%) said that they would not skip further imaging; and 139 (19.5%) were undecided. Responses differed by race, education level, household income, and insurance payer.
Groups most likely to forgo further tests
The groups with the highest percentage of persons who would skip additional imaging were Hispanic persons (33%); persons whose level of education was high school or less (31.0%); persons with a household income of less than $35,000 (27%); and those covered by Medicaid or who were uninsured (31.5%).
Wendie Berg, MD, PhD, professor of radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, who was not part of the study, said that because insurance companies had to cover initial mammograms fully under the ACA, “they generally increased deductibles. That resulted in more charges to patients when they came in for additional testing.
“It caught a lot of women by surprise,” she told this news organization.
The out-of-pocket charges can escalate with each step – more images, a biopsy, then more if they do have cancer, she said. This puts patients on the hook for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in medical bills.
However, Dr. Berg said, “The vast majority of women – 95% – who are called back for additional testing don’t have cancer. It is a problem that a lot of women will experience the cost and don’t have any benefit.”
Reducing false-positive recalls
The study highlights several things, she said. One is that “it’s incumbent on all of us to reduce false-positive recalls, which is one of the benefits of 3-D mammogram.”
Physicians who order additional tests must also consider the financial burden for patients, she said.
Some states have tackled the issue, she said. “Seven states do require insurance to cover diagnostic testing.” But those states differ in the extent of the coverage. DenseBreast-info.org, a website she helps with on a volunteer basis, explains the benefits by state.
Further compounding the problem is that not every insurer is subject to state law, she said.
Many states have programs that cover the cost for those who meet income requirements, although, she noted, some women make too much to qualify.
“It would be great to have a federal law that is inclusive,” she said.
Education efforts may help
Brian N. Dontchos, MD, with the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not part of the study, views the data another way. He told this news organization, “It is encouraging from the study that the majority of women would pursue additional imaging after an abnormal screening mammogram despite incurring more cost.”
He said that since direct patient education “has been shown to be effective in improving patient participation in screening programs, it is possible that, with more education of patients and providers, that advocacy could influence payers to support downstream imaging and biopsies that result from screening programs.”
Dr. Ngo, Dr. Berg, and Dr. Dontchos report no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
CHICAGO – One in five women will skip further imaging after an abnormal mammogram if they have to pay out of pocket before their deductible is met, new data indicate.
“The ACA [Affordable Care Act] removed out-of-pocket costs for screening mammograms under most health plans to encourage women to partake in this important preventative health care measure,” Michael Ngo, MD, a radiology resident at Boston Medical Center and Boston University, said in a statement.
However, the screening mammogram is only the first step. If it’s abnormal, additional tests and a biopsy help determine whether the patient has cancer. The ACA does not mandate coverage for those, Dr. Ngo noted.
Dr. Ngo was lead author of the study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Researchers collected 932 surveys. Asked whether they would skip follow-up imaging if they knew that they would have to pay a deductible, 151 of 714 (21.2%) said that they would skip the imaging; 424 (59.4%) said that they would not skip further imaging; and 139 (19.5%) were undecided. Responses differed by race, education level, household income, and insurance payer.
Groups most likely to forgo further tests
The groups with the highest percentage of persons who would skip additional imaging were Hispanic persons (33%); persons whose level of education was high school or less (31.0%); persons with a household income of less than $35,000 (27%); and those covered by Medicaid or who were uninsured (31.5%).
Wendie Berg, MD, PhD, professor of radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, who was not part of the study, said that because insurance companies had to cover initial mammograms fully under the ACA, “they generally increased deductibles. That resulted in more charges to patients when they came in for additional testing.
“It caught a lot of women by surprise,” she told this news organization.
The out-of-pocket charges can escalate with each step – more images, a biopsy, then more if they do have cancer, she said. This puts patients on the hook for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in medical bills.
However, Dr. Berg said, “The vast majority of women – 95% – who are called back for additional testing don’t have cancer. It is a problem that a lot of women will experience the cost and don’t have any benefit.”
Reducing false-positive recalls
The study highlights several things, she said. One is that “it’s incumbent on all of us to reduce false-positive recalls, which is one of the benefits of 3-D mammogram.”
Physicians who order additional tests must also consider the financial burden for patients, she said.
Some states have tackled the issue, she said. “Seven states do require insurance to cover diagnostic testing.” But those states differ in the extent of the coverage. DenseBreast-info.org, a website she helps with on a volunteer basis, explains the benefits by state.
Further compounding the problem is that not every insurer is subject to state law, she said.
Many states have programs that cover the cost for those who meet income requirements, although, she noted, some women make too much to qualify.
“It would be great to have a federal law that is inclusive,” she said.
Education efforts may help
Brian N. Dontchos, MD, with the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not part of the study, views the data another way. He told this news organization, “It is encouraging from the study that the majority of women would pursue additional imaging after an abnormal screening mammogram despite incurring more cost.”
He said that since direct patient education “has been shown to be effective in improving patient participation in screening programs, it is possible that, with more education of patients and providers, that advocacy could influence payers to support downstream imaging and biopsies that result from screening programs.”
Dr. Ngo, Dr. Berg, and Dr. Dontchos report no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
AT RSNA 2022